Chasing Down Adventure
by TheDoctor36
Summary: Just another Three Caballeros story. Panchito and José have an idea for getting the Caballeros back together... and it's time they had some adventures! (Rated T to be safe.)
1. Let The Adventures Begin!

**Let the Adventures Begin!**

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 _Disclaimer_ \- I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

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Some days, you feel something in the air, some grand universal hint that fate is barreling toward you. You know, with some instinctual part of your mind, that something big is waiting impatiently to pounce, to ambush and change your life forever. You wait, breathless, as a sense of wonder envelopes your every action. In short, you know your life is about to change.

This was not one of those days.

Donald woke up grouchy and alone. Uncle Scrooge had taken Huey, Dewey, and Louie on some kind of adventure in Eastern Europe, and they would be gone for a few weeks at the least. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, to Donald's way of thinking. The triplets had been a special level of irritating lately, pulling some dangerous pranks and calling Donald a variety of insulting names when he asked them to dial it back a few notches. All in all, Donald had been thrilled when Launchpad came to retrieve the three rowdy boys. True, he had been less thrilled that the pilot had wanted to talk despite the fact that this pickup was at 5 a.m., but Donald had dealt with it.

Rolling over, Donald checked the time. Only 9 a.m. He groaned as he rolled out of bed and tried to shake off the bad mood by going to get his morning paper. Unfortunately, since he stubbed a toe and knocked over a vase on his way to the door, Donald's mood merely grew worse. By the time he arrived at the front door, the duck was muttering unintelligibly under his breath. He jerked the door open and was leaning down when a burst of purple dust hit him fully in the face. Without thinking, Donald drew in a quick gasp of air, inhaling most of the cloud. Before he struck the ground, he knew he had been hit with one of the triplets' favorite sleeping powders and cursed himself for not expecting a sneak attack.

* * *

All was dark.

Donald was conscious that he was sitting in a chair, and a quite comfortable one at that. He half expected to be unable to move his arms (Huey, Dewey, and Louie were known for playing some intense pranks), but they moved freely. He lifted a hand to his face and found himself to be wearing a sleeping mask, which the duck quickly removed as he stood up from what turned out to be a rather well-padded armchair.

Donald was in a house. It was quite a nice house, very spacious and clean, and he had never been in it before. He performed a cursory exploration, finding only long hallways of polished wood doors that opened into large empty rooms. After the sixth room, Donald became frustrated and went through a different door, a red one set with glass panels, and found himself in an expansive kitchen filled with mahogany cabinets, polished marble, and gleaming stainless steel appliances. Mumbling about how nice the place was, Donald pushed through another door, this time finding himself outside.

The air was heavy, filled with heat, humidity, and the sound of a thousand cicadas. There was a small section of manicured lawn edged with perfectly maintained flower beds, but the rest of the landscape was swallowed up by countless trees towering over the scene. Donald found a hedge maze, two different fire pits, and a large stream before deciding to journey back to the house. As he approached the door to the kitchen (which he had left slightly ajar), Donald could hear voices and laughter. His pace quickened, then slowed again as he realized that these voices weren't those of his young nephews, but of adults.

Deciding to announce his presence, Donald quacked out, "Mickey? Goofy? Is that you guys?" Gaining a bit of bravery, and a bit of temper, his voice grew louder and crabbier, "Why don't you ever just ask me to go somewhere, you bossy mouse-?" More laughter from the kitchen was the only response that Donald received and he grew even angrier. "Aren't you going to answer me?" he shouted as he burst through the kitchen door… then screeched to a halt when he saw two familiar figures; one short and green, one tall and red.

There was only a split second of silence before two faces crowded Donald's vision, each laughing, talking, and trying to shake his hand. Two accented voices vied for Donald's attention: "Señor Donald! It seems as though we have been apart for ma-" "Donald, mi amigo! How have you been? We haven't heard-" Donald shook his head, pulled his hands out of two firm handshakes, and took a big step back. "Joe Carioca? Panchito Pistoles? I can't believe it! I haven't seen you guys since…" Donald trailed off as he remembered the strange day he had been experiencing. He scowled. "Hey, what's the big idea? Where are we?"

José, dapper as always in a tan suit, laughed and plucked the ever-present cigar out of his mouth. "Oh, Donald! You always cut to the pit of the apple, my friend. We are in a house-" he was cut off by a sharp noise from Panchito and rolled his eyes slightly. "-a thousand pardons, ranch that Panchito and I have bought for the three of us to live in together!" Donald's jaw dropped, but before he could properly express how impossible that was, Panchito cut into the conversation.

"We have not yet mentioned the best part!" The bright red rooster tilted back his large sombrero and rested his hands on the butts of his pistols as he leaned forward earnestly. "We would love for your nephews to come and stay with us as well! We could never leave out your wonderful little sobrinos. We have heard much about their adventures and we think they would make a perfect addition to our group! Isn't that right, Joe?" José nodded his head so fervently that he nearly lost his panama hat.

Donald stared at the two open-mouthed, waiting for more madness to be thrown at him, but the pair remained silent, gazing at him with large, hope-filled eyes. The poor duck took a moment to gather his thoughts, then asked as gently as he could, "Joe, Panchito, what is this all really about?"

One corner of Panchito's mouth quirked up in a sad smile. "Señor Donald, nothing goes beyond your understanding. Let me start from the beginning- or at least, the last time we saw each other. I had just gained some money from the necklace of the Chief and was going to buy a ranch. Well, I did buy my ranch, and it was wonderful. I had a pond for fishing, much land for exploring, a garden to grow all the things I wished… My pride, however, was a large barn filled with horse friends for my favorite four-legged partner Martinez. But sadly, I had made some powerful enemies in my search for wealth. They tried and tried again to destroy my beautiful property. The windows in my house were broken and almost nightly, someone would throw an explosive in, destroying even more. All the fish in my pond were killed when someone placed a chemical in the water. Worst of all, one enemy attempted to burn my barn on three different occasions. After the third time, my barn was burnt to ashes. I decided to give the towel in and take a visit to my friend José."

José bowed his head slowly and put out his cigar. "Meanwhile, I had become very popular at the club. I was so famous that I performed every night, often headlining the entertainment. I did not finish my sets until very late each evening, but there was always an audience to cheer for me. Men wanted to shake my hand and women- oh, all the beautiful señoritas!" The three exchanged wistful smiles as they recalled the times they had torn the land apart chasing women, but their grins faded as José slowly went on, voice softer than before. "However, the fame was not to last. One night, I stood on stage and I could not sing. My wonderful voice, gone! All I could do was croak in a voice not befitting the lowest of geese. I was booed offstage and, shortly after, out of the building. All of my fame, all of my fans, turned away from me and vanished. But out in the darkness, I found that Panchito was waiting for me."

Donald's heart twisted. How had the two funny and carefree guys he had known long ago been so completely changed? But as powerful as their stories had been, there were still some questions left unanswered. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you guys, but I still don't get what's going on. Whose house is this, and why are we all here?"

Panchito and José smiled, all hints of sadness gone. Panchito cleared his throat. "First of all, it's not a house, it's a ranch. And when I met up with José, we sat out in the darkness and talked. Neither of us was happy. We were lonely and many things in our lives started to collapse at once. Both of us had saved up some money and we remembered you talking about sending your nephews to college after we cleared out the silver mines. Since that fell through, we thought that we could at least come and help out with the boys. And while we were at it, we bought this place with plenty of room for all of us and the adventures we'll have. What do you say?"

Donald was still in shock. What was one supposed to do when the explanations made less sense than the questions? He shook his head. "No, no! I can't let you guys do all of this. You have lives in Brazil and Mexico that need you. Everyone has problems, but we have to face them or they'll just get worse and worse. You can't run here and escape everything. Life isn't that easy." The duck began slowly easing back toward the door that led outside. "But, hey, it was great seeing you guys again, and best of luck when you get back home-" Donald turned to leave, but Panchito and José stopped him with hands on his shoulders.

"Where are you going to, Donald?" José laughed. "You have no idea how to get home, or even where you are right now."

Donald wheeled around and pegged the parrot with a glare. "Yeah, what's the big idea, knocking me out? If you really wanted me to come and see the house you could've just come by and invited me out here!"

José's grin widened. "And all of us know that you would have found an excuse to stay at home. Let us face it, Donald; you are not the most adventurous of fellows."

Donald clenched his fists. "That's not true, Joe! I've done more in my life than you can even imagine! I have had plenty of adventures! I go on adventures all of the time!"

José gave a little chuckle. "Donald, you may have been dragged along on a few journeys, but you must admit that you are far more comfortable staying in your own little house with your own boring life." Seeing that the duck was about to explode, José dropped his final challenge. "Fine, there is one way that we will be convinced about your adventurous spirit: You must move in here with Panchito and me. We will have many, many adventures, and you can be a part of all of them. How do you answer to that?"

There was a pause, a moment of complete silence before Donald spoke again. "I know what you're doing, José. You think if I get upset enough, I'll agree to move in with you guys just to save my own ego. Well, it won't work." Donald started back for the door. "It was nice catching up, but I have a house and life that need my attention since _I_ don't run away from my problems."

Behind Donald's back, Panchito and José exchanged glances. It was time to bring out the big gun, their final hope of getting Donald's participation. Panchito launched a noisy sigh and sadly said, "Well, José, it looks like Donald will not be joining us. It will be a shame to see him missing out on such fine adventures. Maybe _Mickey_ would want to come along instead."

Donald's shoulders tensed visibly as he paused in the doorway. Panchito nodded at José, who picked up where the rooster had left off. "Yes, that is a good idea, Panchito. I have heard that Mickey Mouse possesses a most _daring_ and _adventurous_ spirit. He is fearful of nothing. Do you have a way of contacting him?"

It was Panchito's turn again. "I am not sure. Maybe we could call the House of Mouse? Or- wait, Donald, could you kindly let Mickey know that we need someone to take the spot of number one Caballero?"

Before either of the two could so much as blink, Donald had turned around and was bellowing at the top of his lungs. " _I_ am number one! _I_ am the third Caballero! And I am _way_ more adventurous than Mickey Mouse will ever be! I'll be moved in by the end of the day." He whipped around and walked outside, pulling out his cell phone and muttering angrily to himself as he dialed someone to help him bring his belongings to the large ranch.

Behind him, Panchito and José were doubled over in silent, shoulder-quaking laughter. When their mirth faded, they shook hands heartily, both thinking the same thing:

 _Let the adventures begin_.

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Author's Note \- I am a fairly new fan of The Three Caballeros, but I have tried to do my research where the trio is concerned. If anyone finds an issue that I've overlooked, I would very much appreciate the feedback. At this point, I only plan to update the story every two weeks, but as long as I can keep thinking up new adventures for the boys, I may start updating more often. Thanks for reading!


	2. The First Adventure

**The First Adventure**

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 _Disclaimer:_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

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It only took Donald two days to move in. Panchito and José offered multiple times to help him move all of his stuff, but the duck refused, claiming that the long, solo car rides were another type of adventure. The other birds felt vaguely guilty, but were highly amused at the thought of Donald making countless trips in the old trusty 313. Eventually, though, Donald sat slumped outside in one of the lawn chairs, groaning about sore muscles, while José and Panchito lounged inside the kitchen, talking and laughing.

Everything was peaceful at first. Cicadas droned in the slight breeze and it seemed just another lazy afternoon… That is, until a series of horrific screams were heard from outside. José and Panchito slammed down their coffee cups and bolted out the door, ready to save their friend from whatever beast had attacked. They were greeted with an alarming sight: An enormous alligator, nearly fourteen feet long, was crouched and staring at Donald, powerful jaws agape. Donald was scrunched up in his lawn chair, squeezing himself into a tiny huddle of feathers at the head of the chair. As they watched, the alligator lowered itself slightly closer to the ground, narrowed its eyes, and hissed ferociously at Donald, who let out an incredibly high-pitched squeak.

José and Panchito made eye contact for a split second before exploding with laughter, nearly crying in their mirth. Donald was less than amused, "What is wrong with you idiots? Get some help! Quick, before this monster decides he wants duck for lunch!" The parrot and the rooster were soon back-to-back on the ground, tears rolling down their faces.

"Do-Donald," José finally gasped out. "The way you shouted…. We thought something was really wrong!" Donald gaped at this. "That is just Old Tom; he is a close friend from Brazil. You couldn't find a gentler creature in all the earth!"

At this, Donald uncurled slightly. Old Tom responded by loudly snapping his massive jaws closed and open again, advancing unmistakably toward the lawn chair. Donald tensed up once more, glaring briefly at the green parrot before fixing his terrified gaze back on Old Tom. Deciding to finally take pity on his friend, José spoke softly to the alligator in Portuguese. Old Tom reluctantly backed off, turning in a wide circle and walking up to José and Panchito instead. José stroked the rough skin of the alligator's snout. Panchito, while not seeming as comfortable with the huge animal as his green friend, didn't back away the way Donald thought he ought to. With one more quiet Portuguese command, Old Tom headed off to the woods in the direction of the river, pausing for a second to fix Donald with a beady-eyed stare as he went.

José smiled fondly as he watched his reptilian friend depart, but his reveries were soon interrupted by the loud quacking of an angry Donald Duck. "What's the big idea? Since when have you been friends with such a vicious beast as that alligator? And why did you bring him to live at the house instead of leaving him in Brazil where he belongs?!"

Dismayed by his friend's harsh judgment, José corrected Donald. "Well, Old Tom does not quite live at the house. He lives in the river, really. We have one right here on the property, so he has a home, too! We have not been friends for a very long time, but we are very close." Misinterpreting Donald's glare, José said, "Do not look at me like that! I did not take Old Tom from anything that was important. He has no family, so no one is pining away for him back in Brazil." When the glare didn't cease, José finally figured out what the problem might be. "And I have not ever seen him act the way he did today. Did you do something to make him angry?"

Donald scowled, obviously avoiding the question. Instead, he looked to Panchito and demanded, "Did you know anything about this?"

Panchito put on his most innocent face. "Of course, Donald! José wasn't going to bring Old Tom along in the beginning, but when he learned I was bringing Señor Martinez, he figured that he should bring a friend as well."

There was a beat of silence as Donald looked steadily more uncomfortable. He finally revealed the source of his awkwardness: "I- I thought Martinez died in the barn fire?"

The rooster's eyes grew wide. "No, no! Thank goodness not. Martinez was smart enough to open his stall and leave the building, along with the rest of his herd. They all came here with him."

Now Donald looked utterly dumbfounded. "Are you telling me that there is a whole herd of horses roaming somewhere on this property?"

"No, of course not! They don't just roam the property! They prefer to stay near the stables."

"Stables? We have stables?"

Panchito let out a loud burst of laughter. "Donald! You must be joking me! Of course we have stables. This wouldn't be much of a ranch if we had no stables or horses, amigo." He snorted and muttered in a mocking tone, "'Do we have stables…'"

Donald grew red as he heard his friend's mocking, gentle as it was. He wheeled around and walked into the woods, muttering to himself. The other two just shrugged at each other and sat in their own lawn chairs to relax until Donald found a suitable way to retaliate.

* * *

Of course, it didn't take Donald long to bring his revenge. The next day, Panchito and Jose were relaxing in the in-ground pool when they felt an unnerving sensation. They glanced at each other, then both scanned the surrounding area in an attempt to place the feeling. It didn't take long to figure out, as Donald walked around the corner of the house leading a large African elephant by a halter that looked pathetically unequal to the task. Donald stopped at the edge of the pool, where José and Panchito had scrambled up and stood dripping.

"Well, boys," Donald said smugly. "What do you think of my new friend? He's going to be staying with us here for a while."

Panchito and José made skeptical eye contact, but quickly smoothed their expressions into ones of interest and welcome. "Señor Elefante! It is so nice to meet you!" José effused. The elephant just shook his head in a motion more like a dog than an elephant.

Panchito took a turn. "Welcome, amigo! We look forward to you staying with us!" He stepped forward and tried to pat the elephant's trunk, but the large animal balked, stepping backwards. Donald tried to slyly step between the elephant and rooster. Panchito merely shot him a wide grin and took the lead rope out of the startled duck's hands.

"Come, Señor Elefante! We all know how much elephants love the water. We would be most ungracious hosts if we did not ask you to join us in the pool!" Together, Panchito and José dragged the elephant toward the shallow end of the pool, where a long ramp led slowly into the water. The elephant resisted, looking back at Donald in alarm.

"Do not worry, my friend! Donald will join us as soon as he changes into his swimming trunks. They are not as impressive as your own trunk, but they will be sufficient." José's voice was only slightly strained as he and Panchito leaned all their weight against the rope, pulling the elephant slowly but surely into the water. They were a short distance from the animal's feet touching water when they heard a straining noise. Two heads popped out to look around the elephant's body, only see Donald pulling on a hind leg with all of his might, trying desperately (and with little success) to drag the elephant backward and away from the water.

With a silent nod, José and Panchito let the rope go slack. The elephant took a quick step back, stomping on Donald, then edged forward as the two birds finished pulling him into the water. They leapt out to the safety of the pool ledge and watched the elephant in fascination. The huge creature gave a single full-body shudder and went slack, head slumping to the side. There was a moment of quiet before the whole body started to smoke and they heard a familiar 'Ahh-haa-haa-haa-hoooey!" come from inside the elephant. Sure enough, a red-faced Goofy came flying out of a hatch that opened up from the elephant's back.

After a rough landing, Goofy sat in a few inches of water and looked sheepishly up at a slightly crumpled Donald. "Gawrsh! I'm sorry, Donald. Gyro said not to let the elephant suit get wet, but these guys sure are strong!" He tried to fight his way to his feet, but slipped twice and ended up crawling his way out of the pool.

José let out a joyous laugh and offered a hand to poor Goofy. "My friend! I see not much has changed since your training and untraining at House of Mouse."

Laughing, Goofy said, "Oh, no! I'll never change. You guys know that. But you've taught me to be proud to be Goofy. I'm loud and clumsy, but it's okay, because I've got some great friends." He glanced nervously at the fuming Donald. "Although I don't think Donald wants to be one of those friends anymore. He just really wanted to get even with you guys. You know how he gets. He always has to be number one."

Panchito looked surprised, then shook his head with a wry grin. "Goofy, my dear amigo, you are a much smarter man than anyone gives you credit for." The tall dog blushed as Panchito went on, "Do not worry about Donald. We have something that will smooth his feathers right over."

The two birds walked around the smoking remains of the elephant suit and helped Donald to his feet. The duck crossed his arms and started to walk away, but José spoke too quickly. "Pato Donald, we are very sorry. We were going to tell you about Martinez and Old Tom, but you were much too quick at moving in! We were so busy being impressed at your packing genius that we forgot to warn you. Will you forgive us?"

Donald still didn't look happy, but he gave a short nod. "Yeah, it's okay. I know the elephant costume wasn't the best way to get back at you guys- actually, I shouldn't have been trying to get back at you guys at all. I just didn't like that there was something I didn't know about going on. But, hey-" He perked up slightly, "I guess this counts as our first adventure! Told you I have them all the time!"

Panchito grinned at the duck's rapidly re-inflating ego. "That's right, Donald! You have certainly proven your bravery to us! Thank you for accepting our apology. We have a little present for you…" Donald looked around eagerly for a wrapped gift, but didn't see one anywhere. Panchito put two fingers to his beak and let out a single, shrill whistle. "Now, Donald, you have to understand that he won't belong to you. He is a friend, being borrowed for a little while from one of our other friends. Please be kind."

Donald's brow furrowed and he began to ask more questions, but was interrupted when a small brown donkey with a miniature set of wings settled slowly to the ground between them. José patted the donkey's head, then said with a flourishing hand gesture, "Donald, this is Burrito. He is a friend of a friend, who has heard about our upcoming adventures and wished for us to have someone to count on if things start to get dangerous." Donald looked immediately uncomfortable with the concept of danger, and José quickly distracted him by asking, "Did I mention that little Burrito is strong enough to fly even while carrying someone on his back?"

The duck's large eyes widened even further and he looked quickly at Burrito. The small donkey gave a laughing bray and nodded his head. He turned, presenting his side to Donald so that he could more easily climb aboard. Donald needed no further invitation, clambering clumsily onto the donkey's back. Burrito took off as soon as Donald had sat down, and Panchito and José smiled as they heard the sound of their friend's raucous laughter floating down.

Goofy cleared his throat uncomfortably, unsure of how to proceed. Ever the perfect hosts, the green parrot and the red rooster invited him to stay for dinner, then offered to help pack the elephant suit into a box for easier transport back to Gyro's lab. Goofy gratefully accepted and made a point of asking if he could return some time to take part in another adventure. This offer was met with the utmost approval and, when Goofy finally left, he found himself wishing that he could stay a little longer with the Three Caballeros.

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Author's Note \- Reviews are always highly appreciated, and on that note, I would like to thank Mighty Agamemnon for the review on Chapter One. That formatting suggestion was a good one, and the review helped me finish another chapter I had been stuck on. Thanks for reading and have a magical day!


	3. The Second Adventure

**The Second Adventure**

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 _Disclaimer:_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company. **  
**

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Everything was quiet for a long time after Goofy left. Days were filled with food, swimming, taking care of animals, and setting up their individual rooms. It seemed every time Donald turned a corner, there was some new part of the house or grounds to explore. One day, what had started as a brief exploration of the house quickly turned into Donald being hopelessly lost in the depths of the structure. Everything was fine until he realized that some of the farther removed hallways had lights that were spaced a little farther apart than made the duck comfortable. Added to this, a lot of the doors in these hallways were mysteriously locked, which meant that every time Donald heard a noise, he whipped around in fear that some monster had just escaped.

Trying to keep his morale up, Donald muttered nervously to himself as he went along. "Oh, look, another hallway. It looks just like the last one… even better! Sheesh! Why did they have to buy such a huge place? We're never going to fill up all of these empty rooms. If they are all just empty rooms..." He grew apprehensive. "I've been walking for an awfully long time now. Shouldn't I have come to somewhere I recognize? What if I never get out of here? Does anyone know this house well enough to find me? Maybe I'll be trapped here forever! Hey, wait a minute… is that the way out?"

Light shone from a distant doorway far ahead of where Donald stood, glinting off the polished wood floor and the brightly shining knobs of the doors lining the hall. Donald's step quickened as the light grew more apparent. Soon, he could hear the laughter of his two friends, mingled with a collection of strange noises that he couldn't place. Eventually, he burst through the doorway, but found himself in another room rather than outside, where he had expected to be. "Aw, phooey!" he exclaimed, before taking an awed look around.

The room was large, far larger than Donald had expected. It was the size of a gymnasium, but instead of the wide-open floor one would expect, a strange assortment of dangerous-looking items took up most of the space. Panchito and José were off to one side, smiling at Donald. "Pato Donald!" José exclaimed. "How good of you to join us! We were just saying to ourselves that you would enjoy being a part of this."

Panchito lounged back against a wall, crossing his legs in front of him. "But not dressed like that, amigo! Go over there," he motioned to an open doorway, "and change. But hurry! We cannot wait too long!"

Bewildered, Donald wordlessly obeyed his rooster friend, walking numbly toward the doorway. It led into what appeared to be a standard gym-sized locker room, complete with beige-painted lockers, rows of benches, several showers, and a bathroom. The only differences from a normal locker room were the large pieces of art painted on the walls, each depicting something different. Some were scenes of Mexico, others showed Brazilian landscapes, and still others were of famous American settings. All of these were interspersed with paintings of the Three Caballeros and several of the more famous shows they had performed in their glory days.

After a cursory glance, Donald found a section of lockers under a painting of an unrolled scroll with 'The Three Caballeros' written across it in a flowing script. One locker was painted bright green and had a flattering portrait of José on the front, leaning comfortably against his umbrella with a cigar in his mouth. Another locker was a deep, vivid red and was graced with a painting of Panchito, dressed in full Mexican garb and standing confidently with a lasso in his hand. The last locker was a soft baby blue and had a picture of Donald on it. The duck scowled as he noted his picture was a lot less impressive than those of the other two. He was actually facing away, staring back over his shoulder at the viewer with an alarmed look on his face.

Donald yanked the locker door open, letting it crash violently into the picture of José's smiling face. He grabbed the clothes from inside – a gray tank top, a pair of blue shorts, and a gray-and-blue striped sweatband. It didn't take him very long to change, but Donald didn't want to go back into the gym. Who knew what kind of crazy stuff Panchito and José had planned? And Donald always seemed to be the one who got hurt when things inevitably went wrong.

Shoulders slumping, Donald trudged back out into the gym. Idly, he noted that José and Panchito were both wearing nearly identical outfits, though Panchito's shorts and sweatband were red while José's were green. They were both jogging in place. José paused to say, "You might want to stretch and warm up, my friend." Sighing, the duck obeyed. As he stretched, he eyed the odd assortment of machinery in front of him. Half of it looked extremely dangerous. The other half looked absolutely deadly.

Meanwhile, Panchito had noticed the direction of Donald's gaze. He caught José's eye and nodded to their friend. They exchanged grins as they stopped jogging. José strode over to one end of the gym and pulled a serious-looking red lever. There was a loud clank! and the machinery slowly started to move. All the individual parts moved in different ways; some spun while others raised and lowered. It was a sight filled with beautiful chaos in the parrot's eyes. The single thing that united all of the pieces was their slow and steady speed. Of course, they wouldn't move slowly for long, but Donald didn't need to know that yet.

The duck in question had walked over to where José stood, and Panchito quickly joined them. The rooster slung an arm around his two friends and said, "This is a great day, my amigos! Finally, we will know who passes the test of agility!" At Donald's questioning stare, Panchito explained, "This, Donald, is an idea for a machine that tests one's agility. José and I took the plans and built this prototype by ourselves. We're testing it today to see if it really works. Not only can we know how well it runs, but we will also know which one of the Three Caballeros is the swiftest! Are you ready?"

Donald's answer was cut off by the loud slam of a door hitting a wall. All of the birds jumped, then turned to see who had entered the gym. They were greeted with an unexpected sight: A small and pretty female duck stood inside the doors, white feathers perfectly groomed. She wore a purple dress paired with a pink bow and shoes. Sunglasses were pushed up on top of her head and a purse swung from one dainty wrist. "Helloooo, Three Carabiners!" she trilled out.

"Daisy!" Donald exclaimed. "How did you get here?"

"Well, everyone was saying that you had just disappeared, but I was sure you would call me, so I've been waiting around for that. But since I'm not important enough to keep in contact with, I decided to come and find you myself instead!" All of this was said in a breezy, carefree tone, but Donald wasn't fooled. Daisy's temper was the stuff of legend, rivaled only by his own.

"I'm sorry, Toots. I just got caught up being here with Panchito and José. I should have called." Donald looked at his feet, half because he was really ashamed and half because he knew Daisy liked when he looked ashamed.

Behind him, Panchito and José snickered to themselves. "Look at Donald! Would you have ever thought he would be so completely controlled by a woman?"

Daisy's gaze snapped to the pair and her eyes narrowed ominously. "It's okay, Donald," she said, kissing the top of his head as she walked by, "I don't blame you. I know that you were _ruthlessly kidnapped_ and forced to come here by two _barbarians_ who are completely lacking in _manners_!" José and Panchito looked startled to find themselves described in such a way, but Daisy continued, drawing ever-closer to the pair. "Well, boys," she drawled as she stopped just in front of them, crossing her arms and thrusting a hip out. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Panchito and José nearly fell over themselves trying to apologize to Daisy and charm her out of her anger, but she looked unimpressed. Donald, out of her sight, couldn't quite manage to suppress a smug smile. If he was going to be cowed by a woman, it was only fair that she terrify other men as well. After a few moments, she held up a hand to stop their frantic apologies. "That's enough, boys. What was this I heard about some kind of competition?"

Donald's heart sank. He had hoped, with Daisy here, that he was off the hook for the whole agility contest, but he knew now that he was doomed. If anything, this was even worse because Daisy would expect him not only to compete, but to win. And after the way they had been berated by the female duck, Panchito and José were looking pretty desperate to redeem themselves. Donald sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

In the blink of an eye, Donald, Panchito, and José were braced on the sidelines, waiting for the signal from a stopwatch-wielding Daisy. Each had a different part of the machine to start on, then each would rotate to the next spot. For each revolution they survived, the speed would be increased. Donald's reveries were all put to an abrupt end when Daisy shouted, "Go!"

The three birds sprinted forward. Donald started on a machine that looked like a barrel lying on its side with a pole on each side. Each pole had what appeared to be handles jutting out horizontally. He quickly found out that the poles would move as one ran on top of the barrel, and the handles would swing around. They had to be ducked or jumped over, or the runner would be knocked off of the barrel. Donald survived this part, but barely. His next challenge looked like a bunch of sticks set in a zig-zag on the ground. Donald sprinted through them, easily navigating the sharp turns. It wasn't until he was halfway across that his foot hit one of the sticks and a flame spurted halfheartedly at him. He dodged it easily, but knew that feature could cause problems later on when things sped up.

The last station looked like a bunch of small circular stools set into a deep indent in the floor. They were just far enough apart that one would have to jump to reach the next one. Donald made it across easily. He looked around as he went back to the first station. José and Panchito looked like they were doing just fine. Donald hoped that would change soon, as he was already done with all of this 'exercise' nonsense.

When the duck got back up on the barrel, he had just enough time to notice that there seemed to be far more handles on the poles this time. Then, he had to concentrate completely to keep from being knocked off the barrel. He ended up getting through his turn and was almost ready to get on the next station when he noticed a bright green splotch out of the corner of his eye. He turned, and sure enough, José was standing next to Daisy, chatting away. He noticed Donald's gaze and waved. "I am bowing out, my friend! You and Panchito must compete for the title now!"

Donald turned back to the zig-zagging maze, which looked to be even narrower than it had been the last time. He didn't set off the flame thrower, but he seriously questioned whether he would be able to survive the course with his wide feet if the turns became any sharper. He was back to the final station. Nothing appeared to have changed, but Donald was wary. Sure enough, each one of the circles now swiveled around with the slightest hint of movement. He nearly fell a few times, but made it across with no major problems.

Daisy and José had started to root for their favorites: José cheered for Panchito and Daisy cheered for Donald, who now had to face the barrel again. He had to run even faster, and the handles kept striking the edges of his shoulders, jerking him slightly back with every hit. He was completely winded by the time he was done, but was determined to keep going.

Donald had started on the maze course, but was distracted by Panchito, who was only one station ahead. The duck could see that the deep indentation on the floor was now filled with water, but Panchito's long legs allowed him to step from circle to circle without having to jump… a huge (and to Donald's mind, unfair) advantage. Unfortunately, this distraction meant that Donald hit a large bunch of the sticks, and a hissing noise was his only warning before the flamethrowers started spouting spirals of fire his way. There were too many of the machines, and Donald wasn't nimble enough to avoid them all, so he just crouched down slightly and dashed through the rest of the track. Somehow, he made it unscathed, but his lungs ached with the activity and sweat rolled down his face.

Now Donald confronted the water. He hurriedly stepped on the first circle, but along with swiveling, it also sunk a few inches below the surface of the water. Off to his right, Donald could see Old Tom in the indent, eying the duck with a malevolent interest. Daisy cheered her boyfriend on while Panchito confidently took on the barrel. Donald faced a moment of pure discouragement, then perked up with a single thought: "Wait a second… I'm a duck!" Ignoring the approaching alligator, Donald lowered himself onto the surface of the water, powering his way across in a matter of seconds.

As he pulled himself out of the water and dripped on the sidelines, Donald watched Panchito. The barrel looked like a blur under the rooster's feet and the poles were absolutely bristling with handles. There was no way Donald would be able to navigate that station again without falling off. Just as the duck was about to publicly admit defeat, Panchito looked over and blew Daisy a kiss. When he turned around, a handle smacked him directly in the center of the forehead and the bird flew backward off the barrel, hitting the ground solidly.

There was a beat of pure silence before Daisy and José erupted in cheers. Panchito rubbed his forehead where a lump was forming, stood up, and shook Donald's hand good-naturedly. Befuddled, Donald asked José, "Why are you cheering? You were rooting for Panchito!"

José beamed. "Well, someone had to cheer for Panchito, did they not? We all knew your beautiful girlfriend Daisy was going to root for you, so I encouraged Panchito. But you are both my friends. I would be happy for whoever won and encourage the other to try again. That is called being a good friend." He winked as he said the last.

Daisy motioned to her boyfriend. "Come on, Donald. I brought some homemade food for my favorite athlete!"

Donald's grin faded slightly and he turned a light shade of green as he thought about his girlfriend's cooking, but he recovered. "Hang on, Toots. I'm going to go change back into my regular clothes, but I'll be out in just a minute!" With that, he jogged off to the locker room.

His girlfriend turned to the two birds. "Well, guys, thank you! I was nervous when I heard that Donald was living with two old friends that no one's heard from in a while, but I see now that you'll take good care of him. You really are the Three Ca- Three Ca- Oh, I just can't think of any more words that are almost 'Caballeros' but not. I know how much you guys loved that, so I'll think up some more. Anyway, I'm just glad that you guys are his friends." She half-hugged each of them before walking over the locker room where Donald was just emerging.

José handed Panchito a towel and a cold bottle of water. "Well my friend, you did a good thing today. Pato Donald needed a win and he got one. It is fitting that a look at Miss Daisy was what did you in, eh?"

Panchito shrugged. "To be fair, I was struggling on some of those obstacles. Even if I hadn't blown a kiss to Miss Daisy, I don't think I would have lasted much longer. I don't know how Donald made it as far as he did with what bad shape he's in! But it doesn't matter. Let's go get changed."

They walked into the locker room, but came to a complete halt in front of the Caballeros' lockers. Donald's picture had been changed to one of him standing confidently, smiling at the viewer with his fists on his hips. Below his feet were the words 'Agility Master' written in bold letters. His wasn't the only locker changed, either. José and Panchito's portrait selves each sported a healthy, black marker-drawn mustache.

Panchito had to laugh at José's look of horror as he slapped the green parrot on the back. "My friend, I would say that Donald definitely did have a win today!"

* * *

Author's Note \- Thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoyed this particular update on the Caballeros' antics. Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! It is amazingly encouraging and a great incentive to write more chapters. :) Have a great day!


	4. The Third Adventure

**The Third Adventure**

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 _Disclaimer:_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

* * *

Donald floated on the high of his win for almost a week. He was in such a constant good mood that he was a complete joy to live with. He did most of the chores, didn't pick fights with Panchito and José, and even called his nephews to check in and make sure they were doing okay. After he spoke to Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Donald had a short conversation with Uncle Scrooge. who was slightly confused about Donald's living situation, but offered to keep the triplets until further notice. Donald gratefully accepted this before finishing up the conversation.

Panchito and José were at a loss to explain Donald's new personality, but they both agreed that it was a nice change. "After all of this," Panchito whispered one day, "I think it may not be a bad idea to make sure Donald wins something once every month. It might make our lives easier!"

José nodded fervently. "But we will see how well Pato Donald's changed attitude survives our next adventure. He may become much more difficult to deal with."

Panchito grimaced. "Well, we have two days to think up a way to break it to him without ruining his good mood."

They thought of nothing. Donald's attitude continued to be as upbeat as it had been, but Panchito and José did not have high hopes. On the morning of the second day, they sat in the kitchen and waited. When Donald walked in, they pasted bright smiles on their faces and poured him a cup of coffee.

"Donald! We have a bit of a surprise for you…" José trailed off as he tried to think of some way to approach the topic.

Fortunately, Panchito picked up right where the parrot had left off. "We have a secret adventure all planned out for today!" Donald perked up. "The only thing is that we have to leave really soon. Things start happening pretty early."

Donald stood up, collected all the coffee mugs, deposited them in the sink, and turned to face his two friends. "Well, let's get moving, then! Are we riding in the helicopter?"

Slightly unnerved by Donald's easy acceptance of the vague plan, José slowly said, "No, we will not be taking the helicopter. Since this… adventure will not be very far away, we will just be taking the flying serape."

Donald beamed. "The flying serape! I hardly remembered the serape. It's been so long! Let's leave right now!" The white duck turned and hurried out the door. He waited impatiently outside as Panchito and José exchanged nervous glances and followed him.

Panchito raised two fingers to his beak and let out a single sharp whistle. The serape glided down and hovered in the middle of the group. For one moment it hung in midair, rippling as gracefully as a flag before it fluttered to the ground like a colorful picnic blanket. The three birds settled comfortably onto the serape before it took off, flying through the air. Donald laughed joyously, and his friends smiled with the sheer bliss of having the Three Caballeros together on the serape again.

About 20 minutes later, the serape touched down in the middle of a clearing. The Three Caballeros stood, surrounded by forest. Sunlight filtered down through the canopy of branches, and unfamiliar noises echoed from the depths of the gloom. Donald looked around, excitement fading to nervousness. This anxiety grew as José and Panchito collected the serape and headed into the heavily shaded forest.

After a short trek through the undergrowth, the three birds came upon a large area of cleared land. Trees stretched upward in a ring enclosing a sizeable piece of land with straw scattered across the packed dirt ground. In the exact middle of the land was a two-story house, freshly built, with two moving trucks parked next door. Donald's utterly confused face was a sight worth remembering, but it quickly became even more hilarious.

"Well, heya guys! It's swell that you came to give us a hand!" As the squeaky voice hit them, Donald's expression went from bewildered to accusing as he looked at his two friends. They couldn't help the grins creeping across their faces.

"Hola, Mickey!" Jose turned and shook the mouse's hand. "Thanks for letting us come and help out today! Just tell us where you need us to work at."

" _Work?!_ " Donald shouted. "What's the big idea? What are we doing here?"

"Well, Donald," Mickey explained, peppy as usual, "We're here to help build houses for cartoons who aren't as popular as they once were. They were having a hard time, so a big group of us got together to make sure they have a place to live."

Donald looked triumphant. "But I don't know anything about building houses! You probably don't want me on the project, so we'll just be headed back home…"

Mickey laughed. "Oh, Donald! Don't you see? The house is already built! Merlin, Flora, Hercules, and Genie constructed all the houses a few days ago. We just need help painting and moving furniture inside."

"That doesn't make any sense! If all those people helped out before, then they can help with this stuff." Donald turned to march away, but Panchito and José stopped him.

"Mickey called us, amigo." Panchito wrapped an arm around Donald's shoulders. "The others helped with many of the houses, but they had to leave before they could finish this one. We offered to pick up the slack."

Donald crossed his arms grouchily. "Why should I help some cartoons who weren't good enough to still be popular?"

There was an odd beat of silence as the other three looked around awkwardly. José cleared his throat. "Donald… Panchito and I wanted to help because we know how it feels to fall out of popularity. Once, everyone knew of the Three Caballeros, but now… no one remembers us at all. We were lucky enough to have the means to buy a house. Many are not. Do these cartoons not deserve a place to live?"

To detract from the awkwardness, Mickey spoke up next. "Well, we just finished a house for Taran and Princess Eilonwy, and now this one is for Robin Hood and Maid Marian. You don't have to stay if you would rather be somewhere else, but we would sure welcome the help." Mickey patted Donald's back and walked toward the house while Panchito and José followed.

Donald sighed and allowed his shoulders to slump. He knew had been completely insensitive and now he felt terrible.

"Oh, hello there!" A bright British accent sounded behind Donald. "Are you here to help with the house?"

Donald whipped around to see who was talking and found himself face-to-face with an orange-red fox wearing a green hat and shirt. A bow and quiver were slung over one shoulder, and he bore a welcoming smile on his face. He noticed the duck's stare and held out a hand. "Guess I should introduce myself, then. Robin Hood's the name. You're Donald Duck, right?"

Donald shook the proffered hand. "Yeah, I'm Donald. It's nice to meet you! I've heard of Robin Hood, of course. I'm honored to be helping with your house."

Robin grinned. "The honor is mine. My wife, Maid Marian, is a huge fan of yours. She is going to be so excited that you're going to work on the house with us! Hopefully, we won't take up too much of your time. We know you're a busy duck!"

Donald shook his head. "I have all the time in the world. Should we go look at the house or wait for your wife?"

With a casual look at the forest, Robin shrugged. "Little John was supposed to escort her from our camp in the woods, but she wanted to bring some of the stuff along, so… Ah, well. You know how women can be."

"You said it!" Donald looked at the woods as well. "So maybe we should go ahead?"

"Keep your shirt on, sailor boy." A rich, deep voice came from the edge of the clearing. Donald looked over, getting ready to be offended, but the sight of the large bear emerging from the edge of the forest was enough to give him pause. Following the bear was a petite, pretty female fox wearing a pink dress and veil.

The bear ambled up to stand next to Robin Hood while the vixen drifted gracefully to his other side, threading her arm through her husband's. Robin shot a warning look at the bear. "Be nice, Little John." He turned to face his wife. "Darling, this is Donald Duck. He is going to help us paint and set up the house."

Marian smiled charmingly and held out a slender hand. "It is lovely to meet you, Mr. Duck. Thank you for so kindly agreeing to help us today."

Donald grasped her hand and kissed the back of it. "I've heard wonderful things about you madam. Please, call me Donald."

Little John laughed. "Very elegant, my man. I'm Little John, but you can call me whatever you like. What do you say the four of us go look at the house so the little lady here can decide what all needs to be done?"

* * *

About an hour later, everyone was painting a different room. Maid Marian had an interesting taste in interior decorating. She would glance into a room and immediately know what color she wanted it painted. It made things very simple for everyone, especially since the rooms were already taped off and there was a wide variety of paints in one of the moving trucks.

Donald was painting the dining room, Mickey had the living room, Panchito was taking care of the kitchen, José was finishing a bathroom, Little John was finishing up the stairwell and hallways, and Maid Marian and Robin Hood were painting their bedroom. Everyone had been introduced to everyone else. Flora, who had thought of everything, had enchanted the walls so that all paint would dry immediately and no one needed to worry about paint fumes.

When everyone had finished painting, they all shuffled into the living room. Maid Marian had brought some things from the camp where the group had been staying in the woods, but most of the real furniture had to be moved in from the moving van outside. Maid Marian stayed inside, hanging pictures and directing the guys on where to put furniture. Much as everyone tried, no one but Little John managed to move very much. Large items like the refrigerator had to be moved by him while all the others brought in the bed and couches through teamwork.

Eventually, everything was moved inside the house. Maid Marian arranged the furniture to her liking, and all of the movers admitted that the house looked very tasteful and cozy. To properly 'break in' the house, as Little John put it, the entire group stayed to help make and eat dinner. They decided that stew was the easiest option.

Once again showing her organized and logical mind, Maid Marian had quickly assigned everyone a task. Little John and Robin Hood were slicing and frying the beef, Panchito and José were dicing up vegetables, and Mickey and Donald were peeling potatoes. Maid Marian stirred the stew between sorting and putting away glassware in the kitchen. Despite Donald's best efforts, Mickey kept attempting to talk to him.

"How about it, Donald? Was helping out as bad as you thought it was going to be?"

Donald wanted to look away, but forced himself to meet Mickey's eyes as he swallowed his pride. "It was really nice. I guess I take a lot of our success for granted, but this has really opened my eyes to how many cartoons need help. Thank you for calling José and Panchito to come and help out today."

Mickey looked slightly taken aback. "Wow, Donald… I'm glad you feel that way! I would never have expected that response." There was a moment of silence as they finished up the potatoes and passed them off to Panchito and José to be chopped up and added to the nearly-finished stew. Mickey silently studied Donald. "Ya know… I think spending so much time with the other Caballeros is really good for you."

With that, the mouse took the dish of potato peelings and walked outside to throw them in the woods, leaving Donald standing awkwardly. For lack of anything else to do, Donald set the table with a bowl and spoon for every person and a pan holder to keep the hot stew pot from touching the wood of the table. Maid Marian thanked him when she noticed and the stew was finished cooking a few minutes later.

Everyone sat at the table, talking and eating, sharing stories and laughing. Donald could tell from their postures that José particularly enjoyed hearing about Robin and Marian's courtship while Panchito was enthralled by the stories of Robin and Little John's exploits when they had been acting against the usurping Prince John. As Donald looked at the happy faces around the table, he thought to himself that helping others felt a lot better than he had imagined.

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Author's Note \- As always, reviews are encouraged, but that's your choice. :) Since I was in a bit of a rush last time and didn't get the chance to individually thank people, Mighty Agamemnon, Three Caballeros Girl, and Gekuu Sabur, your reviews made my day! And as usual, thanks for reading!


	5. The Fourth Adventure - Part One

**The Fourth Adventure (Part I)**

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 _Disclaimer:_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

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Everything at the house was quiet for a solid week. José spent his time making somewhat sketchy phone calls and smoking his usual cigars, interspersed with watching soccer games on the large television in the living room. Panchito, on the other hand, spent a lot of time with Martinez exploring the land around the house. Donald mostly sat around the house and wondered what Panchito and José were doing.

Eventually, the weather started to grow colder and leaves began to change. The days grew shorter and the sun didn't seem to shine as brightly as it had. In short, summer was beginning to fade and fall was slowly taking hold of the land. José spent more time than ever in the kitchen, as it was one of the warmer rooms in the house, while Panchito began spending more time cleaning up the barn and less time wandering the grounds. Eventually, even the rooster abandoned all of his time spent outside. Since Panchito and José were both inside the house more often than not, Donald prepared for the inevitable.

Though Donald's volunteering experience had turned out to be mostly positive, it was still a while before José and Panchito decided to suggest another adventure. Donald was sitting on the large leather sofa in the living room, watching TV when the other two birds came in and sat carefully next to him.

"So… Donald…" Panchito drawled. "How do you feel about-"

He was abruptly cut off by a slightly overeager Donald. "Yes! I mean… yeah. Let's go do something. Anything. I don't care."

Taken aback, the green parrot and red rooster glanced uncertainly at each other. José looked back at Donald. "My friend, you do not even know what we were going to say. While I greatly enjoy the idea that you are ready to do anything, I need to ask if you are sure."

"No, it's okay. I haven't had anything to do in a long time. I'm sick of just sitting around the house. Whatever you guys want to do, I'm okay with." Donald's two friends exchanged such gleeful looks that the duck's stomach dropped. He rapidly rethought his statement and hastily added a stipulation to his agreement. "…As long as it isn't going to do any permanent damage. How does that fit into your plan?

Panchito's shoulders slumped. "Well, José and I had an adventure all planned out, but… Well… The thing is, Donald, it's the kind of adventure where we simply could not guarantee your safety." One of Donald's eyebrows flew up and the rooster's voice took on a disappointed tone as he continued. "But it is okay, amigo. We will not force you to go. Two days from now, José and I will be gone from late afternoon to early morning. Do not be concerned."

José stood. "Well, Donald, that finishes up our conversation. Thank you for the time, my friend. You have a good day. Panchito and I will probably be very busy between now and then, so we may not see you."

The other bird smiled. "And in the slight likelihood we don't return from this adventure, Donald, it was very nice working, living, and having adventures with you. Even if you don't go along on many adventures." Panchito let the last statement echo in the room, filling the silence until it was thick and heavy. He stood and started to leave the room with José until the sound of Donald's voice stopped them.

"Fine," Donald groaned. "Tell me a little more about this adventure we're about to go on and what exactly I should be doing to get ready for it."

José and Panchito smiled triumphantly at each other and sat back down.

* * *

Early the next morning, Donald was awoken by a knock on his door. He rolled out of the tangle of his sheets and stumbled over to his door. Pulling it open, he stared blearily at Panchito's smiling face. "What?"

Panchito spread his hands in front of him. "Training, of course! We have a lot of preparing to do before tomorrow night, and the sooner we get started, the better!" He pushed a cup of coffee at Donald. "Get to the gym as soon as you can."

By the time Donald got dressed and got to the gym, it was nearly an hour later. He was mostly awake, enough to notice that the large 'agility testing' machine that had previously taken up the majority of the floor was now gone. Panchito wasn't in sight, but José stood leaning against one wall with a cup of coffee in his hand. The normally well-groomed parrot looked as though he was having a rough morning. The feathers on top of his head were ruffled and disarrayed while his tan jacket hung open, displaying a slightly misbuttoned white shirt. Donald lifted his hand in greeting, but José merely gave a jerk of his chin and continued staring off into the distance.

Panchito strode out into the middle of the now-empty floor. He had shunned his usual outfit in favor of a plain black shirt and a pair of unadorned black pants. The rooster was carrying several large bags, which he shrugged off onto the floor. They landed with a loud, clanking noise, and Donald had only a second to wonder what was inside before Panchito began to speak.

"Gentlemen, we do not have a lot of time to prepare. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll travel several miles northeast to an abandoned house rumored to be haunted by unrestful spirits. The owner of the house has contacted us and begged our assistance in proving the house not to be haunted. Or if, it we find it to be… ah, occupied, he asks us to vanquish these spirits."

"Who is this owner again? Did he give us a name?" Donald asked. After a moment, he thought to add, "And why are we helping him de-ghost his house?"

Panchito looked shocked. "Why- Because he asked us to, of course! He needed help, and knew that the Three Caballeros were in the area. I had to agree. We cannot allow one of our neighbors to be in trouble and not offer our assistance!"

"How far away is this place?" Donald inquired.

"Several miles," Panchito answered. He left it at that, staring at the duck with wide and innocent eyes.

Behind Panchito, José pushed himself off the wall. "That is ridiculous." Panchito stiffened up and turned around to watch his friend stride toward them. The Brazilian parrot looked utterly disgruntled. "You do not even know this man, but you offer to help him and you are going to force us to go along as well?" Panchito looked so crestfallen that even the reluctant Donald shot José a glare.

"But- José, my friend, whatever happened to helping those who need our assistance? What happened to the duties and honors of being a Caballero?" Panchito's idealistic tone was enough to soften Donald's reservations, but José didn't look convinced.

"I just think it is a little bit suspicious that a man who does not know us and does not live truly close to us knows who we are and that he could ask us for help. Do we look like the… What were they called in that movie you were watching earlier, Donald? 'Ghostbusters'?" Donald nodded his affirmation and José went on. "I just think the entire thing is a little strange and you probably should have asked us before agreeing our services to this person. And besides, you still have not told us a name."

Panchito seemed bewildered by the way this conversation was turning out. "His name is Peter Buwerski. When we helped out with the houses, we became rather well-known in the area as being gentlemen who are willing to lend a hand to people who are in need of it." The rooster's wide eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked at his green friend. He studied the parrot for a moment, then abruptly asked, "José, are you afraid of ghosts?"

Standing several feet away, Donald could fairly feel José's discomfort radiating outward as he shook his head. "I am not afraid of spirits, but I do have a high level of respect for them. Please remember that I am from Brazil. We believe that spirits can communicate from beyond the grave to their loved ones. They are to be revered, perhaps slightly feared, and I am unsure whether any 'busting of ghosts' would show them the respect that they are due. I do not honestly know if my conscience will allow me to take part in this adventure."

Donald was unable to hold back a scoff. "Are you kidding? I've been going on sketchy adventures with you guys for over a month now… And if you count our Three Caballeros days, we've been having adventures for years. But you're uncomfortable with something and we have to call it off completely? That's not fair!"

José looked ready to erupt when Panchito hurriedly cut in. "I understand where both of your points of view are coming from, but I have some ideas that might make things go a little more smoothly: Firstly, from now on, I will tell both of you about any help requests we receive before I agree to offer our services. Secondly, instead of finding _and_ eliminating any spirits we might find tomorrow night, we'll just look for them and report our conclusions to Mr. Buwerski. He can then do whatever he chooses. Does that sound like an agreeable plan to both of you?"

After a moment's consideration, José nodded hesitantly. Scowling, Donald did the same a few seconds later. Satisfied that everyone was now on board, Panchito smiled widely. Now the real training could begin.

* * *

Groaning, Donald and José flopped down simultaneously in the living room – Donald sprawling on the long couch and José collapsing onto an armchair in the corner. It had been a brutal six-hour training session with Panchito, who, as it turned out, was a bit of an expert on ghost-hunting. They had gone over the best methods for sneaking across squeaky floorboards, communicating almost silently, and using all the ghost-hunting equipment they had access to.

Donald lay exactly where he had landed, slightly on his side, arms cushioning his head. As he panted, he tried to decide whether he truly needed water so he didn't throw up, or if he needed to stay horizontal so he wouldn't throw up. This was exactly why he hated exercise: there was no upside. Donald took a deep breath and twisted his body off the side of the couch, letting his legs catch him up so that he didn't hit the floor. His muscles felt like they were tearing, but he managed to stand, feeling all the places he had exercised stretching out.

Using the wall for far more support than he cared to admit, Donald made his way gingerly to the kitchen. One room-temperature glass of water later, he felt a little better. That is, until Panchito walked in a moment later, said a quick, "Hola, amigo!" and began to cook a late lunch. Feeling queasy all over again, Donald fled the kitchen in favor of a hot shower.

In the living room, José exhaled softly. In contrast to his physically unfit friend, the Brazilian parrot was lying on the recliner due to dejection. However unintentionally, he had hurt his best friend. It was as though the clash of his culture and his current life had created a roaring in his head, and lashing out at his favorite compatriot was the only way he could restore the silence. Distracted by the course of his thoughts, José rose, ignoring the slight twinges in his muscles, and walked slowly toward the kitchen.

As he approached the end of the hallway that led into the kitchen, José heard the familiar clashing of pots and pans. A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. When Panchito was thinking too hard, he tended to neglect what he was doing with his hands. This theory was supported by the clattering ring of a dropped pan, followed by a muffled curse from the Mexican rooster.

José walked into the room, pretending to be fully focused getting a glass of water. Panchito promptly lost grip of the skillet again and made a sound of disgust before picking it back up. Stifling a grin, José asked, "Would you like a hand, my friend?"

Panchito didn't meet his friend's eyes, but gave a short nod. Looking at the ingredients assembled on the counter, José discerned that his friend was making one of the few dishes he knew how to cook: pancakes. José quickly greased the pan and set it on the stove to warm while he whisked the ingredients together into a large bowl set out for this purpose. Unlike his friend, José Carioca could think while he cooked, and his mind whirred with the recognition that he and his rooster friend had followed their typical course: neither liked to apologize, so after an uncomfortable conversation, they would simply pretend nothing had ever been said. José had never been so grateful for this tradition, since he had no idea how to apologize to his chivalrous friend.

Soon, two stacks of pancakes were carried over to the table, along with forks, napkins, and a plate of bacon. Without saying a word, the two birds dug into their food. Glancing at his friend over the rim of his coffee mug, José silently promised to put all of his effort into their ghost-hunting adventure. If it was important to his friends, it was important to him as well.

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Author's Note \- I know I normally only update once every other week, but this chapter turned out to be usually long. Rather than throw a gigantic chapter at you guys, I'm breaking it up over two weeks. :) Reviews are appreciated, and as always, thanks for reading!


	6. The Fourth Adventure - Part Two

**The Fourth Adventure (Part II)**

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 _Disclaimer:_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

* * *

After another half-day of training, a full night of rest, and another early morning training session, the Caballeros each went their separate ways to get ready for that night. The plan was to leave about an hour before sunset, so the birds had a few hours to spend however they individually pleased before it was time to go.

Donald spent his afternoon showering, eating, and complaining to thin air about his sore muscles. Between those time-consuming activities, he kicked back on the couch and watched television. Though Donald insisted that he wasn't scared about this whole 'haunted house' adventure he was about to go on, he figured that it was best not to take any chances. That was why he intended to spend the rest of his free time enjoying himself by doing absolutely nothing.

José spent his time going over the methods Panchito had taught them over the past few days, as well as reviewing how to assemble, clean, and operate the equipment they would be using. While doing this, he did a lot of thinking about his culture, his beliefs, and how to reconcile these with the adventure that was so important to his friends. In the end, he decided that all he could do was to go along with it and try not to do anything that would grievously offend the spirit world and force them to take unpleasant action.

Panchito put the majority of his time into working in the gym. He had perfected his flips a long time ago, but wearing the equipment on his back had thrown off his balance enough that more practice was a necessity. After vaulting became second nature even with the added weight, he set up targets around the room and worked on using his pistols as he flipped. It took great concentration, but once he had successfully blasted a hole in the exact center of every target, he had time to think as he packed up the equipment. Despite what José had thought, Panchito had been extremely curious about the man who had so desperately begged for their assistance. Who exactly was Peter Buwerski and how had he come to the conclusion that the Caballeros would help with his issue? No epiphanies came to the rooster, but it didn't truly matter. They were going to his house, and maybe there, the answers would be revealed.

The Three Caballeros stood outside later that day. The afternoon sunshine began to take on that buttery yellow quality that made it feel like it had its own weight, its own thickness. Donald stood with his arms folded across his chest and tapped his foot impatiently. He looked around, only stopping when José asked, "Eh… Pato Donald, what is it you are looking for?"

Donald looked flummoxed. "The serape, of course! How else are we supposed to get to the haunted house?"

Panchito and José exchanged amused glances. Panchito was the first to take pity on the duck. "Amigo, let us just say that we are each going to need our own ride today. José will ride his umbrella, I will take Martinez, and you will fly on your donkey, Burrito. That is, if you feel comfortable riding on his back?"

"I- Well, to be honest-" Donald looked down and scuffed the ground awkwardly with his foot. "I haven't actually ridden on Burrito yet. But not because I'm scared of flying or anything!" He looked up at his two friends with this last statement. "I just haven't really had time, you know." When no one else filled the silence, Donald kept talking. "I would say I'm pretty comfortable anyway. I'm not scared of anything!"

The other two shrugged. José already had his umbrella and Martinez, already saddled, arrived from around the corner when Panchito softly clacked his tongue a few times. Donald glanced around, grimaced, put fingers to his lips, and whistled. Thankfully, the well-trained donkey fluttered down in front of him mere moments later. Burrito wasn't wearing a saddle like Martinez, but he was short enough that Donald didn't think he needed stirrups.

After a short debate about how much equipment they had, it was decided that José would carry his own bag slung across his back while Panchito would strap his and Donald's bags to Martinez's saddle. As usual, Donald was offended by the perceived slight about his weight, but it was quickly explained that Burrito wasn't used to carrying anything more than one light person at a time.

Soon enough, they were on their way. At first, Donald and José had to separate from Panchito while the rooster and his horse fought their way through the thick undergrowth of the forest. José, astride his black umbrella, led Donald and Burrito soaring up over the treetops in a straight line until they came to a large field. In less time than Donald had expected, Panchito and Martinez emerged from the tree line. Donald and José flanked them, each hovering so that all the birds were sitting at an equal height.

Donald had been mulling over something for a while and his curiosity finally got the best of him. "Panchito? Why did you say we should each have our own ride to this house? Are you planning on us leaving at different times?"

Panchito continued riding comfortably, staring out ahead of them. "I think José would give a better explanation than I would. José?"

The green parrot looked like he was deep in thought, but soon described their reasoning. "You see, Donald, Panchito and I both have the use of magic. Did you know this?"

Donald nodded. "That's one of the reasons I agreed to come along. You both can use magic, so whatever we're up against doesn't actually stand a chance of hurting or killing us." There was a silence as he studied his friends' faces. "Right?"

Instead of answering the question, José went on with his previous train of thought. "Well, magic has to be stored somewhere. Maleficent has her staff, Ursula has her shell, Mother Gothel had the flower… Maybe it is not a good thing that mostly bad guys use magic…" He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "In whatever case, Panchito stores his magic in his sombrero. I store mine in my umbrella. We have to keep these with us in order to use our magic with all the strength it should have. And speaking of magical strength…"

Both birds fell into a deep silence. For the first time, Panchito looked at Donald. "What José is uncomfortably bringing up is that our magic is black magic. Black magic has its own set of rules that determine how it acts toward pure magic and other types of black magic. It is very difficult to explain, but there are people who believe that ghosts and hauntings are a kind of black magic. If we are fighting any kind other than black or pure, we will definitely win. It is just how magic works. If, however, we are coming up against black magic, everything will depend on who is more powerful."

"What if the ghosts have pure magic?" Donald thought this was a decent question, but José waved it off immediately.

"It is impossible for pure magic to be used to do anything that is not innately good. If they somehow did possess pure magic, they could not use it in an attempt to harm us. If it is even attempted, the magic will change to a different kind."

Thinking he had gotten the system figured out, Donald asked, "Does the pure magic change to black magic if that happens?"

Panchito shook his head. "No, when pure magic is used to do evil, it becomes something different, something far more weak. Those who possess pure magic don't always do the right thing because they are all simply good people. Sometimes, they are only on the side of good because that is where they are most powerful."

Donald opened his mouth to ask another question, but José cut in. "As Panchito has said, it is very difficult to explain magic to someone who possesses none of their own. It is nearly impossible to explain in such a short time as this, and when we are all so focused on other things."

"Besides," Panchito said. "We have arrived."

Donald's head whipped forward so he could catch his first glimpse of the supposedly 'haunted' house. It was so perfectly horrific that it almost looked false. Dark-colored paint had almost completely peeled off of the siding, revealing the greying wood of the structure. Several of the black shingles were missing, leaving oddly pale spots across the span of the roof. One of the steps leading up to the spiderweb-wrapped porch was snapped in half. Ancient trees loomed, leaves rustling in the breeze, silhouetted against the constant flashes of lightning.

"Well, we gave it a shot. Guess there's nothing we can do but go back home." Panchito and José gave Donald a questioning look and he gestured back at the towering house. "Come on! Look at that place! It looks like it should be condemned. Between the way it looks and the questions about your magic, don't you think the odds are slightly stacked against us?"

Panchito laughed and slapped Donald's back. "Ah, amigo! Always trying to lighten the mood. But we are here, so let's get to work!"

Reluctantly, Donald followed the others up to the house. Martinez and Burrito stayed behind, a safe distance away, while each bird carried his own equipment. Panchito fearlessly led the way, not sparing even a flinch for the booming thunderbolts. Donald followed, not wanting to be in the back of the group. José just looked as though he wished he could be anywhere else. They stepped carefully over the broken step, brushed the spiderwebs out of their way, and warily entered the door. The interior of the house didn't look any better than the exterior. There was no furniture, and the empty space was accentuated by the wide, uneven strips of wallpaper curling down toward the heavily chipped trim. Bright flashes of lightning lit up the cracked windows, throwing strange shadows on the dust-encrusted floor, scored in random places by deep scratch marks.

José let out a low whistle. Ignoring his friend, Panchito pulled what appeared to be a bulky cell phone from a pocket on his backpack. There were small, multicolored lights on one end of the device, and when the rooster pressed a button, the machine made a whirring noise then one of the lights would turn on. The red light flashed twice and Panchito shook his head, signaling the others to follow him into the next room of the house.

Room after empty room was cleared in this way as the Caballeros slowly worked their way to the third floor. Panchito had been in his element from the beginning, fearlessly striding into rooms, ready to confront anything that may appear. Donald had started out frightened, but quickly became more confident when the red light kept flashing. José brought up the end of the group, doing his best to stay out of the way and avoid offending any potential spirits.

Finally, the trio stood in the last room. Panchito pressed the button, the machine whirred, and a yellow light flashed once. The birds paused. The button was pressed again, the whirring noise came, and the same light blinked yellow. Slowly, stepping lightly, Panchito made his way over to one of the doors in the room. The light was still yellow, but this time it flashed twice. The rooster reached out and turned the knob, pushing the door open until it lay flush against the inside wall. Instead of looking into a closet as they had expected, the Caballeros found themselves staring up a narrow flight of wooden steps. More disturbingly, the dust that had been so thick everywhere else came to an abrupt end at the threshold, leaving the stairs looking almost polished.

Ignoring the large, frightened eyes of his friends, Panchito began making his way up the staircase. It was a bit of a process. For each step, he would place his foot on the stair and slowly increase the weight he placed on it until he was sure there would be no creaking noises to give away their presence. In this fashion, they made their way to what could only be an attic above the rooms of the third floor.

The room was small, but immaculate. The floor was clean, the trim was intact, the walls were painted a fresh white, and even the very top of the sharply angled ceiling was free of dust and spiderwebs. However, the contents of the room were the real issue: Mickey Mouse was everywhere. Plush dolls of the mouse were scattered on the floor, most with their stomachs or heads sliced open and fluff hanging out of the gashes. One plush was suspended from a nail on the wall by a cord around its neck. Pictures of Mickey were on the walls, most with darts embedded in them or threatening words painted across his smiling face. Directly opposite the door, on a shelf in a gold frame, was a picture of Walt Disney and Oswald. Both were smiling for the camera, and though the picture was old and grainy, the happiness on their faces was very apparent.

Donald breathed out a sigh as he took it all in. "Oh, boy. We might have a bit of a problem here, guys."

Panchito nodded. "It is very clear what has been happening in this house. We must leave and get in contact with Mr. Buwerski and the police right away."

José tucked his umbrella under his arm. "Hold on one moment. What exactly is it that you two think is happening here?" At the others' incredulous looks, the parrot shrugged. "All I am saying is that there may be more here than meets the eye."

Still giving José a dubious look, Panchito slowly and distinctly explained, "Oswald has let Mickey's fame drive him slowly insane. Obviously, he feels Mickey stole Walt from him, and wishes to take revenge on Mickey for it. When the new owner comes to see his house, he may hear Oswald up here, but does not realize there is an attic, so he believes there to be ghosts in the house. I believe that we need to go to the police with this information now so that Mickey is not harmed by the crazed rabbit."

José smiled. "Ah, my friend. I could not disagree more. Forgive me, but I must bask in this moment of knowing something you have not yet seen." He chuckled softly to himself as he leaned on his umbrella and gazed around the room. "You must understand, I was uncomfortable with our ghost hunt from the beginning, so I began thinking about who Peter Buwerski is and why we had never met or heard of him before he contacted us. I had my ideas, and now, I know for sure."

Donald looked ready to explode. "José! Explain what you think is going on or let us go to the police! I may not be Mickey's biggest fan, but I don't want to see him be killed!"

José pointed one gloved finger at the duck. "Exactly. You do not like Mickey, but you are friends. Let us think this through, hmm? Who else does not like Mickey, does not like Oswald, has a first name that is a version of 'Peter', and was created by Ub Iwerks, which is merely an anagram of 'Buwerski'?"

Panchito gaped. "You are not telling me that Pete the Cat is our mysterious homeowner?"

José nodded, but Donald frowned. "Okay, I agree that there's something fishy going on here, but that doesn't mean that it has to be Pete. What if it's another villain?"

"Ah, but take a deep breath through your nose, Donald. Smell that? That is the lingering smell of tobacco, my friend. There are very few cartoons who smoke and even fewer who choose to smoke…" he took a deep breath and grimaced, "…ugh, cheap cigars. Pete is known for doing both of those things. I am fairly certain that we have discovered what is happening in this house, but I know that it is not a concrete case against Pete. I believe, even with all of this evidence, we would do well to keep our findings to ourselves until we know for sure what is going on."

A loud crash from the stairwell made each of the Caballeros whip around and look to see what had happened. None other than Pete himself lay at the bottom of the steps, rubbing his head and glaring at them. "So I suppose that's it, then. You're all gonna go tell Mickey and Oswald and dah police that I tried tah set dah rabbit up." He stood reluctantly and thrust his arms out, wrists together. "Go ahead, then. Take me in. I was just gonna leave when the parrot there said ya should wait before ya told anyone, but those dumb stairs tripped me up."

The parrot in question asked, "Why were you trying to make so much trouble between Oswald and Mickey? They have almost become friends now."

Pete thought for a long moment, confusion running across his face in waves, then finally shrugged. "I dunno. I've been fightin' those two for so long that it's just how things are. I saw a chance, and I took it. Everyone says that ya three are dah best thing tah happen tah this place in a long time, so I thought I'd take advantage of that good press and get ya tah do some of dah dirty work for me. But since yer dah good guys, I know you have tah give me tah dah cops. Just get it over with."

José glanced at Panchito, then Donald, and then back at Pete, standing at the bottom of the stairwell with his hands held out in front of him. In a short moment, the parrot had descended the steps and pushed Pete's arms down. "You are right: we are the good guys. That is why we are going to come back tomorrow and help you clean this place up." Pete looked stunned as José went on. "We will clean this room up first, throw all of this stuff away, and then turn this house into a place where you can truly be comfortable as Pete the Cat, not Pete the Villain."

Pete looked at him suspiciously. "And yer not gonna tell Mickey or Oswald anything about what I was tryin' tah do here?"

José raised an eyebrow. "No, I will tell Mickey and Oswald that you had a plan against them, but that we stopped it. Nothing more than that needs to be said. However, if any of us ever suspect that you are trying to put this plan back in action, we will go directly to the police. Understood?"

The large black and white cat nodded earnestly. "I understand, and I promise that I'm not gonna try this one again. Tah be honest, it was a little dark, even for me." He stood for a moment and gave the trio a considering look. "Yah know what? Yah guys might actually be dah best thing tah happen here in a long time. Thanks." He shook each of their hands, escorted them to the front door, and politely turned down their offer to stay with them until he had the comfort of a clean and furnished house, insisting that he would stay a little longer where he had lived as he set up the house and attic.

As the Caballeros journeyed back home, Donald asked, "Are we really going to trust that Pete is going to keep his word and change? Do we want to risk him living nearby, knowing that he could snap at any moment and turn back into Pete the Villain?"

José just smiled. "Sometimes, Donald, you have to have faith that someone is going to change. You have to believe in them as best you can. That is what it means to be a good guy."

Donald shook his head as they continued to the house; one on a horse, one on an umbrella, and one on a flying donkey.

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Author's Note \- Happy Halloween, dear readers! I hope you guys liked the chapter and how the mystery wrapped up. I know I usually ask you guys to review (and thanks to Three Caballeros Girl and Donald4Life for their reviews on the last chapter), but this time I actually have a reason: was the magical theory too much? Were there any gaping holes in the explanation or did it just not make sense? Also, how do you feel about Pete's dialogue being written in colloquial terms? In the future, if characters appear who have a distinctive way of talking, would you prefer the dialogue be written that way or just add the terms as you read? Let me know and I hope you guys have a magical Halloween!


	7. The Fifth Adventure

**The Fifth Adventure**

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 _Disclaimer:_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

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It was autumn. Of course, it had been autumn for a while, but now one could truly feel the chill in the air. Most of the leaves had either fallen to the ground or were quickly fading to a crispy brown and the entire world seemed to be losing vibrancy at an alarming rate. Sitting on a couch, gazing out of a large picture window, José Carioca shivered. In his hometown, Rio de Janeiro, temperatures rarely dropped below 15ᣞ Celsius, or 60ᣞ Fahrenheit. It was already below 50ᣞF here more often than not. That was 10ᣞ Celsius. 10ᣞ! Whatever would he do when the snow began to fall, as Donald warned him it would? Shivering again, José drew the blanket more tightly around himself. As he watched, tree branches swayed in the harsh wind, sending another wave of leaves down to cover the frozen ground. Well, not frozen, but still colder than it would have been in Brazil!

José had taken to wearing a heavy coat, gloves, and a thick scarf any time he had to go outside. Thankfully, his outdoor excursions were limited almost exclusively to helping Pete clean up his house with the other Caballeros. They had made significant progress, but despite all of the work they had done so far, there was still more to be done to make Pete's house livable. The attic was cleaned out, but Pete had used some type of false dust compound on his floors that had to be carefully buffed off in order not to scuff the natural wood. Even with an optimistic view, José estimated at least another week of work on the house, and it was growing very cold to be flying so high in the air on his umbrella.

On the trips, Donald sometimes wore a light windbreaker, but he often went without any winter gear, not even shivering when the wind over the woods nipped at their exposed faces. José consoled himself with the fact that he would be able to do the same if he had been born and raised in this type of weather. He tried not to take it too hard when Panchito only wore his usual jacket. After all, Mexico often got colder than Brazil. The rooster did not seem at all bothered by the temperature when he was out raking leaves in Pete's yard yesterday. Actually, the weather now was probably still warmer than what Panchito was used to during a Mexican winter! José refused to be embarrassed about being a warm-weather bird… at least out loud.

He shook his head, trying to settle his thoughts. The other birds would not mock him for wearing warm clothes. Besides, these American houses were all fitted with heating systems, a rarity in most parts of Brazil. José could always simply turn up the temperature in his part of the house if he became especially chilled. Hopefully, his body would soon grow used to the cooler climate. Already, he was only truly freezing during the early morning or late evening. José frowned. And thinking of mornings, it was not the morning anymore. It was early afternoon and he had yet to see either of his housemates.

As if summoned by José's thoughts, Donald stumbled into the room, rubbing his face blearily. Catching sight of the green parrot, he gave a sleepy half-smile and greeted José with a, "Good morning."

José smirked. "Morning? It is no longer morning, my friend. Good afternoon. I trust your sleep was wonderful, if you are just now waking up."

Donald groaned and dropped into an armchair. "It's too early for you to be this mouthy, José. Tone it down for at least another hour, wouldja, buddy?"

"'Mouthy'? I am not familiar with this particular American expression. Would you mind giving me an explanation?"

The duck gave his friend a suspicious look, as if trying to figure out if José was messing with him, but shook his head and gave an explanation anyway. "Being mouthy is the same as being sassy. And it's a bit much this early in the morn- day." He amended at José's lifted eyebrow.

Leaning forward, José rested his chin on his fist. "'Sassy'? I am not famil- oof!" He was cut off when Donald launched a pillow across the room, catching José in the stomach. He tossed the pillow onto the other end of the couch as he laughed. Needling Donald was a particular pleasure of his. And Panchito's. Honestly, that was most of the reason the two were so close. José checked the time again and glanced around.

"Donald? Do you know where Panchito is? I have not seen him yet today, and I have been awake since eight. Did he mention anything to you about going somewhere that would require him to leave that early?"

Donald shrugged. "He didn't say anything to me, but he doesn't usually talk too much about what his plans are unless they affect us somehow. Why? Did you need him for something?"

José frowned. "No, not really. It is just that I normally see him at some point during the day. I am a little worried that he had not appeared yet. He did not tell me anything about being gone today, either."

"Well, remember, he did leave Pete's later than we did yesterday. He sent us home early and said that he would finish up there and head home a little later. Maybe he stayed longer than he meant to." Donald appeared lost in thought for a second, then his eyes lit up. "I know! Maybe he started on another project, finishing a part of the house, had to stop in the middle of it, and got up early to go finish it this morning. Maybe he's already at Pete's!"

"It is possible. I believe I will call Pete to see if Panchito is there now." José reached over, grabbed the phone, and dialed Pete's number from memory. (There had been a lot of communication between the houses over the past week.) "Hello, Pete? It is José. Would you be able to tell me if Panchito is at your house already?"

Donald moved over to the end of José's couch so that he could hear both sides of the conversation. " _No, I haven't seen Panchito tahday. I figured since he left so late yesterday that he needed some sleep. Tah be honest, I was kinda worried when that big storm happened after he left. I wasn't sure if he was gonna make it home alright. He musta made it, though. He called me pretty early this mornin' an' said he was sick so he wouldn't be over tahday. Do me a favor an' take care o' him. I can handle stuff around here. You guys just make sure he's okay. I'd feel pretty terrible if he got bad sick because he was here helpin' me._ "

José paused a moment but told Pete, "Yes, we will care for Panchito as well as we can. Thank you for your help and we will hopefully be able to come and help you again tomorrow." Pete told him there was no rush, and after a short goodbye, both hung up. José turned to Donald. "Well, I supposed that takes care of the whereabouts of Panchito. If you have no objections, I would like to go and check on him."

Looking worried, Donald nodded and the two headed off to Panchito's room.

Panchito had been sleeping fitfully all day. By the time he had gotten home, it was after midnight and he was too tired for the hot shower he had wanted. It had been all he could do to remove his soaked clothes, pull on pajamas, and flop into bed. Even then, it had been difficult to sleep. His limbs ached, his lungs burned, and there seemed to be no cool spot on his pillow. When he began feeling worse instead of better, the rooster had called Pete and reluctantly told him that he wouldn't be able to come and help with the house. Pete had been very understanding and Panchito had soon been left to continue his sleeping adventures. He alternated in pulling on more covers and pushing them off, and was currently fantasizing about a glass of cool water.

Just as he was entering another fever dream, there was a light tap at the door. Wrapped in blankets as he was, Panchito seriously considered ignoring the sound, but knew it was likely his friends. He sat up to answer the door and promptly slumped back down, caught in a fit of dizziness. He coughed twice, finally managing to croak out a, "Come in."

Immediately, Donald and José treaded softly through his door and up to the side of the bed. Panchito cracked an eye open and raised an eyebrow up at them. "Yes?"

Donald crossed his arms over his chest. "What's the big idea, not telling us that you're sick? We had to hear it from Pete!"

Wincing slightly at his friend's grating voice, Panchito drew the blanket down off the bottom half of his face. "I apologize, my friends. I had hoped that I would feel better by now, but I'm afraid I cannot go and help Pete today."

José rolled his eyes. "That is not the point, Panchito. Pete told us to take care of you, since you left his house late last night and rode through a nasty storm on your way home. None of us are helping him today. What can we do to help you feel better?"

Panchito couldn't prevent the smile from crossing his face. "Thank you very much for the offer, amigos. If you wouldn't mind, I am very thirsty. I have a glass on the counter in the bathroom. If one of you would kindly fill it with cold water, I would be very grateful."

In a flash, Donald had done as Panchito asked and was handing him the glass. Panchito took a long gulp and sighed in contentment as he set the rest of the water on his bedside table. "Thank you, Donald. Now, if you two don't mind, I believe I will just go back to sleep."

José shook his head. "No, my friend. You must have something to eat and more than one small drink of water."

Panchito frowned. "I could not ask you to bring me food. Please, go enjoy this beautiful autumn day and allow me to rest. The only thing I need is for one of you to go and check on Martinez. He is used to seeing me every day, and I fear he is worried."

Donald tried to protest leaving his friend, but José gave him a look and a sharp shake of his head. When the duck closed his mouth, José said, "We will just be on our way to check on Martinez, then. Rest well, my friend." Panchito nodded, already settling back under his blankets. The other two left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

They walked for a moment in complete silence, until Donald burst out, "Are we really just going to let him sit in there, sick and alone? What kind of friends would we be?"

"No friends at all," José replied calmly. Donald stopped to stare at him. "That is why I am going to go make some food for him while you go and check on Martinez."

Donald smiled smugly. Sometimes, being a friend meant looking past what the person told you they wanted while giving them what they truly needed.

* * *

Donald stepped into the barn. The air felt warm after the crisp coolness of the autumn breeze. The sweet smell of hay mingled with the dust in the air until it felt almost like it could be summer again. The duck took a deep breath and sighed, walking over to Martinez's stall. The horse looked back at him expectantly. Donald smiled and pulled the carrot out from behind his back. Martinez eagerly stretched out his neck to grab the tasty treat and Donald patted the horse's mane. As the orange vegetable disappeared, Martinez nudged Donald's arm gently. Donald laughed. "I'm sorry, buddy. I'm saving the other one for my friend Burrito."

Martinez looked back into the stall and Burrito's head popped out from behind the horse's legs. He gave a wide donkey smile and brayed loudly as Donald held up the carrot. A split second later, he was floating beside Martinez's head, pleading with his eyes for the carrot. Donald tossed it in the air, letting it arc high enough so that it almost brushed the rafters. Burrito soared upward and retrieved the carrot before it had the chance to begin its descent.

Donald turned back to Martinez, trying to ignore the small bits of carrot that fell down between them as Burrito enjoyed his treat. The duck had been expecting to find Martinez still wearing his saddle and bridle, but the horse wore neither. When Donald looked around, sure enough, the tack in question hung neatly on the hooks designated for the purpose. There was fresh water in both the horse and donkey's buckets, and new supplies of hay were in both stalls. Donald shook his head in amazement. Even exhausted and soaking wet, Panchito had taken time to care for the animals.

He turned to leave, but a questioning whinny from Martinez stopped him. Donald turned back to the horse. "Sorry, Martinez, I guess I forgot to say what I came here to say. Panchito is sick. He caught a little bit of a cold during the adventures last night and he needs to stay in bed, probably for the rest of the day, maybe even some of tomorrow." Martinez shook his head and blew through his lips to signal his worry. "Don't worry, buddy. José and I are taking good care of him." The horse gently nuzzled Donald's arm and began lipping at his sleeve. Donald smiled. "Okay, I'll tell him that you miss him and that he should visit you as soon as he's well." With a final quick stroke of Martinez's mane, Donald turned and went back to the house.

* * *

José stood at the kitchen counter, concentrating completely on the knife in his hand as he chopped various vegetables. A pot of water on the stove was slowly coming to a boil. He had already put diced carrots, onion, celery, and parsley in it to begin forming the water into a broth. The smell was just beginning to fill the kitchen when Donald came back. José raised an eyebrow and Donald shrugged. "Both Martinez and Burrito were already taken care of. Martinez is worried about Panchito, but I think he trusts that we'll take good care of him." As he talked, Donald walked over to the sink, washed his hands, and stirred the broth with a confused expression on his face.

The parrot smothered a laugh. "Donald, if you have a moment, would you kindly peel some potatoes?" Donald nodded and began peeling the potatoes José had washed and set out. They worked in silence for a while, until José began adding diced vegetables to the pot.

"Since when have you known how to cook?" The words were a little harsh, but the tone was filled with pure curiosity.

José shrugged. "One may only live alone for so long before he tires of living on breakfast cereal and microwaveable foods." He moved past Donald with another cutting board full of diced vegetables and caught his friend looking at him with an expression filled with the beginnings of pity. On his way back to the counter, he stopped close to Donald, gave a grin, and gave an exaggerated wink as he confided, "Drives the ladies crazy, too."

Donald laughed as he set the peeled potatoes on José's cutting board. They were quickly diced and added to the pot, followed by an assortment of fresh herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper, a shake of garlic powder, and a splash of tomato juice. José stirred the mixture and placed a lid on the pot. He also filled the teapot with fresh water and placed it on another burner to begin heating up. Noting his friend's actions, Donald had dug a wooden tray out from a cabinet and placed a bowl, a spoon, and a mug on it. He added a small dish of sugar and had gotten the carton of milk from the refrigerator when José stopped him.

"Sorry, Donald, we cannot give Panchito any milk. Actually, the sugar is probably not best, either." He removed the dish of sugar and replaced it with a small bottle of honey.

Donald frowned, puzzled. "I don't get it. If he can't have sugar, honey should be just as bad. And why can't he have milk?"

José shrugged. "The honey will work with the tea to help soothe his throat. As for the milk, all types of dairy cause the production of mucus to increase. Judging by the sound of his voice earlier, he doesn't need any more of that."

At the mention of mucus, Donald had set the milk back in the refrigerator with a grimace, and then turned to look at his friend. "Why do you know so much about sicknesses?"

"Donald, I am a man of many talents." Donald looked unimpressed and José laughed. "Actually, I learned from my mother. She was very interested in the field of medicine and would probably have pursued a career as a doctor if such things had been appropriate when she was young. Instead, she contented herself with growing a medical herb garden and treating the assorted illnesses and injuries of my father and I, and later, the community as a whole. She was rather well-liked and became a renowned healer."

It was the first time Donald could remember José talking about his family at all, and didn't quite know how to respond in a way which wouldn't insult his friend. In the end, he decided to grab a glass and fill it with ice water. José gave the duck a confused look, and Donald explained, "You said earlier that Panchito needed to drink more water. I figure it would be easier to bring it all to him at once." A smile from the parrot was his reward.

With a final stir of the soup, José pronounced it to be done and dished up a generous helping for Panchito. Soon after, the tea kettle began screeching, and the two were on their way.

* * *

Sighing, Panchito sat up in his bed and pushed the covers away for the thousandth time. His glass had been drained of water over an hour ago and he still couldn't sleep. He really didn't want to take medication, but it was quickly getting to that point. The rooster rolled himself slowly off the side of the bed, letting his aching leg muscles support him as he shuffled to the bathroom and took his temperature. It was still high and the bird groaned as he sat gingerly on the edge of his mattress. Just as he was about to lie back down, a knock sounded on the door and he stood to answer it.

Donald and José stood in the hallway, Donald carrying a food-laden tray and José's hand was halfway to the knob. Both looked surprised. "Panchito!" Donald exclaimed, the question evident in his voice. "You're out of bed! Are you feeling better?"

Panchito nodded, vigorously at first but slowed when his head protested. "Yes, I'm doing very well! I feel much better."

José surveyed his friend's flushed face, noting his overly-bright eyes, and smiled knowingly at the taller bird. "No, you are not." He placed the back of his fingers against Panchito's forehead. "No, definitely not better. Please go back to your bed. We brought you some hot soup and tea and another glass of water."

Panchito thought about protesting, but saw the look on his friends' faces. Allowing his shoulders to slump, he went back to his bed and sat down. Donald and José followed him in, placed the tray over his lap, and sat cross-legged on the floor. While the rooster began slowly eating his soup, Donald and José told him about Martinez's concern and then chatted about things around the house to fill the silence. Panchito paused for a moment and commented on how flavorful the soup was. Donald laughed. "Okay, I don't feel so bad for not knowing José could cook if you didn't know, either! Apparently, our friend is quite the chef."

Everyone smiled. Panchito went back to his soup and José began finger-drumming on his legs. Donald studied his red friend for a while, before abruptly asking, "What's wrong, Panchito?"

The rooster paused for a moment and gave Donald a bemused stare. In an overly slow and _duh_ -toned voice, he explained, "Well, Donald, I have been sick. I have a fever and muscle aches and have been in bed most of the day. Why?"

Catching Donald's meaning, José eyed the sick bird as well. "Donald does have a point. You have not been your usual self for the past few days. What is going on, my friend?"

Panchito sighed and stared down at his soup, giving it a halfhearted stir. "I don't like to be negative, but I must admit that I have been feeling a little depressed lately. It just seems that, however much good we do, we do not truly make a difference. No one knows who we are or that we only want to help them. I know it seems melodramatic, but I just feel frustrated. It is not important. Forget I said anything." He smiled down at his two friends, but they could see the gloom in his eyes.

José looked over to Donald and nodded. "Go ahead, Donald. Tell him."

Panchito's gaze shifted over to Donald, who smiled and pulled an envelope out from behind where he was sitting. He held it up so that Panchito could see the heavy, cream-colored envelope with a large black Mickey head outline stamped on the front. "I'll spare you the official language of the letter, but what it basically says is that there is a Thanksgiving celebration held every year, and it's open to everyone who lives here. This year, Mickey talked to various people in the community, asking who they thought should host it and apparently, our names came up the most often. They know that we are willing to help those who need it. Long story short, Mickey asked if we would be willing to host the dinner. We wouldn't have to cook it or anything; it's a potluck."

José cut in, "Though I do not believe it would be a good idea to have anyone over if Panchito is still sick. We would have to see what happens with his health, but beyond that, I do not have a problem with our hosting the event. Panchito?"

In response, Panchito tipped his bowl back and drained the rest of the soup. Halfway through his cup of honeyed tea, he stopped with an odd look on his face. He shivered, rubbing his arms even as sweat broke out on his forehead. Concerned, Donald asked, "What is it? Are you okay?"

Panchito furrowed his brow. "I do not know… I feel strange all of a sudden."

José stood up and surveyed his friend, then walked into the bathroom and retrieved the thermometer. After a quick scan across Panchito's forehead, he smiled. "It is as I expected. Your fever has broken. You should be feeling as good as new after a night's rest."

Hearts lightened by the knowledge, Donald and José gathered up Panchito's dishes, bid him goodnight, and went to clean up the kitchen.

* * *

Author's Note \- Sorry to throw a mega chapter at you! I wrote this about a week ago, but didn't realize how long it was until I uploaded it. My apologies! Anyway, thanks for reading and special thanks to Three Caballeros Girl and Mighty Agamemnon for your input on the last chapter! Now, one last thing. I know I said that I would only update every other Thursday, but I don't like the idea of going two weeks between chapters. So, starting next week, I'm going to be posting a mini-chapter between real chapters. Just a little update on what the Caballeros are doing. Please be nice, since they will be slightly shorter and probably won't contain any major plot points. Okay, that's everything. Have a wonderful day and thanks again for reading!


	8. Adventure Five And A Half

**Adventure 5½: Thanksgiving Preparations**

* * *

 _Disclaimer-_ I do not own the Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

* * *

Overwhelmed by the task ahead of him, Donald set his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. A foul stench greeted him. Stacks of unidentifiable objects completely covered all of the ground space he could see. Something small moved deep in the gloom, shifting a pile of who-knew-what until it toppled over, spreading to mingle with the rest of the confusion. He couldn't deny it any longer: His room was a complete mess.

The duck sighed. How had things become so chaotic in the small amount of time he had lived here? And from what he understood, Panchito and José were in very similar situations. When Mickey had asked the trio to host the annual Thanksgiving banquet, they had immediately accepted, thrilled to be asked. Now, each had wondered if they had been too eager to accept. Perhaps they should have stopped and thought about the implications, the most important of which was the fact that the house was messy (or 'comfortably lived-in' as Donald preferred to think of it) and would need a thorough cleaning before guests were brought inside.

At the moment, their plan was for each bird to clean his own room and then make his way out to the main living areas. There, they could decide how much work those rooms needed and divide up the tasks. Donald dreaded all of it. He hated cleaning anyway, and to be cleaning for Mickey and so many others who weren't his biggest fans… But there was no avoiding it. The duck resolutely pushed up the sleeves of his shirt and got to work.

* * *

Several hours later, Panchito stood in the living room, gazed over the mess, and allowed his knees to buckle, spilling him into an armchair. They had been cleaning for most of the day and there was still a lot to be done. There was only a week until Thanksgiving and the pressure was definitely beginning to build.

Panchito sat and meditated, trying to mentally compile a list of things that needed to be done but kept losing his train of thought until he heard steps coming down the hall. José soon emerged around the corner and took a seat near Panchito. Checking his watch, then the clock hanging on the wall, the parrot said, "Well, that did not take us as long as I feared it would."

Panchito sat, keeping silent for a beat. In the quiet, they could hear the vacuum being powered up in Donald's room. He turned and studied his friend, who was very casually avoiding eye contact, and bluntly asked, "Did you use magic to clean your room?"

José stayed facing forward, but eyed Panchito in askance. Finally, he admitted, "Yes, I did. And you?"

Panchito settled back into his chair, folding his hands across his stomach. "Of course I did." They sat in comfortable silence and listened to Donald vacuuming. Abruptly, the noise cut off and they could hear their friend shouting a swear word before the rumbling started up again.

José chuckled. "He always has trouble with the cord." Neither bird moved as they listened to their friend clean, except the noise of José putting up the footrest on his recliner.

* * *

Dragging a forearm across his sweating brow, Donald marched down the hallway that led to the living room. As he got closer, he could hear an abrupt flurry of movement, but when he turned the corner, Panchito and José were steadily cleaning, straightening clutter and dusting under random items on the shelves.

José accidentally knocked a small wooden snake off the shelf and bent to pick it up. Straightening, he caught sight of Donald. "Ah, Pato Donald! There you are! Panchito and I have been working on this for quite a while. You had better get to work, my friend, or you will never catch up!"

Panchito turned away, and Donald could swear he saw a smile on the rooster's face, but couldn't figure out why. Shrugging, he picked up a cloth, sprayed cleaner on it, and began to dust and shine one of the tables in the living room. They worked in silence for a while.

Softly at first, José began whistling 'Bahia'. When he caught the tune, Donald glanced over at his green friend, then let a smile creep across his face as he joined in. Moments later, Panchito let out a quiet laugh and began to sing the words in his rich voice. "Someone that I long to see keeps haunting my reverie, and so the loneliness deep in my heart calls to you, calls to you…"

By the end of the song, all were singing along and cleaning to the swaying beat. Donald kept his eyes on the shelf he was dusting, hoping to hide the lump in his throat. No matter how much the Caballeros irritated him at times, he had still missed them desperately. It seemed that everyone had been reminiscing as well. Panchito cleared his throat and shook his head. "Why did we let so much time pass between visits? Why did we not stay together?"

José set his bottle of furniture polish down with a thump and turned to his friends. "You know what? It does not matter. All that matters is that we are together now." He eyed the room critically. "Also, I believe the house is clean enough. What do you think about stopping all of this and watching a movie? I will make the popcorn."

Panchito chuckled, resting his hands on his belt. "Am I correct in assuming we are watching our movie?"

The parrot smiled wryly and shook his head. "I do not believe I could make it through our movie with dry eyes, my friend. How about…" he tilted his head back and mentally searched through movies that all of them liked. "Lilo and Stitch?"

Donald scoffed. "Talk about not having dry eyes! That stupid part when they're on the hammock-" The duck's voice cut off as his eyes moistened. "I can't even _think_ about it without getting depressed!"

Panchito stared at his friend pleadingly. "Come on, Donald! Stitch dresses up like Elvis Presley! You cannot dislike a movie when it has Elvis Stitch in it!" Donald looked unconvinced and Panchito tried a new tactic. "I will let you choose what type of pizza we get."

Tearing off toward the entertainment center, Donald shouted over his shoulder, "I'll start up the movie while you order! Pepperoni and anchovies!"

José grimaced. "You are not actually going to order a pizza like that, are you?"

Clapping José on the shoulder, Panchito gave a broad wink. "Don't worry, I have a feeling that the delivery boy will most tragically deliver us the wrong pizza, one made with sausage and four types of cheese."

The two birds went off in different directions, José to make popcorn and Panchito to order pizza, but both could still hear the soothing sounds of Jumbaa Jookiba and Stitch mocking the Galactic Federation.

* * *

Author's Note \- Here we are! The first of the mini-adventures! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Head's up: next week's chapter is pretty intense. Thanksgiving will turn out to be quite the day for the Caballeros! Thanks again to Three Caballeros Girl and Mighty Agamemnon for their kind words and input!


	9. The Sixth Adventure

**The Sixth Adventure**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company. _  
_

* * *

Groggily, Donald sat up in bed and stared over at his alarm in confusion. Why was he awake? After giving the clock a firm thump to shut off the noise, Donald settled back on his pillow with a satisfied sigh. A sweet and spicy smell lingered in his nostrils and he remembered that it was Thanksgiving morning. Though he needed to get out of bed in a few minutes, he closed his eyes and allowed his memory to play back the events of the night before. The cleaning had been finished early in the day, and everyone was making last minute preparations when José retrieved a slender baguette from the pantry and began expertly slicing it into inch-thick pieces.

Panchito and Donald sat at the chairs on the other side of the counter and watched their friend work. The bread was rapidly cut and José set it aside before pulling a bowl out of a cupboard and whisked together milk, cream, salt, and vanilla. When it achieved the consistency he had been looking for, the parrot poured the mixture into a glass baking dish and set the baguette slices in, making sure that both sides were coated. He covered the pan with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge. Donald raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

José smiled and said, "Rabanada," with relish. When the others still looked confused, he explained, "It is similar to the American dish of French toast. Rabanada is a very popular breakfast in Brazil, though you mostly see it around Christmas time. I thought it would be nice to offer to our guests who will be here early and may be hungry before dinner is ready. It must soak overnight and then be finished in the morning, but it should not take too long."

Donald looked at Panchito. "Are you going to make something, too?"

Panchito looked thoughtful. "I am hardly a cook, but I suppose I can make horchata. It is almost like," he paused to make a terrible face, "eggnog, but much better. If I put everything in the crock pot tonight, it will be ready in the morning with a few minutes of preparation." He began to move around the kitchen, collecting ingredients. "Are you preparing anything for tomorrow, Donald?"

Sheepishly, the duck held out a package of store-bought chocolate chip cookies. "I can't cook, but I wanted to bring something." He let his arm drop back to his side. "It was stupid."

José grabbed the cookies with a smile. "Pato Donald! How did you know? I was just telling Panchito how concerned I was that we were not going to have any desserts to offer our guests. These are perfect!" Panchito nodded in confirmation of the story and Donald headed off to bed.

* * *

By the time Donald took a shower, dressed in his best clothes, and got downstairs, guests were already arriving. He paused for a moment by the door to greet Merlin, who had abruptly appeared just inside the door and was struck when it opened a split second later. Donald shook the wizard's hand and made sure he was okay before opening the door to reveal Pocahontas. Slightly confused, he kissed her hand and wished her a happy Thanksgiving. After an awkward pause, he said, "I hope this isn't rude to ask, but aren't you offended by this holiday?"

Far from looking annoyed by the question, Pocahontas thought for a moment before giving her calm reply. "I can see why you would believe we would dislike this holiday, but it is a time every year when people remember who we are, what we did for them, and that they should be thankful for the land. We cannot hate such a holiday." She looked away, giving Donald her proud profile as a group of people across the room shouted a greeting to her. When the Native American princess looked back at Donald, a smile played across her full lips. "I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving, Donald." She patted him on the head briefly as she walked across the crowded room.

Donald walked off to the kitchen. It was noticeably warmer than the rest of the house, and every inch of the countertops and table were covered in dishes, pots, and pans. As the duck approached the heaps of food, he could literally feel the heat wafting from the assortment of dishes. He turned to ask his friends what was going on, but before he could say anything, a harried José pushed some rabanada on a paper plate at Donald and an apron-wearing Panchito thrust a mug of horchata into his hand. Juggling his food, Donald asked, "Hey, how is all of this food still warm? Shouldn't most of it have cooled down by now?"

A sardonic chuckle came from behind Donald and he turned to see a tall, slender man with dark purple hair standing in the corner. His arm was wrapped around a short woman who wore her white hair woven into a thick braid. "That would be me. Your friends here seemed a little overwhelmed by the idea of having to reheat all of this food, so I performed a simple sustaining spell that will keep all of the food at its optimum temperature until I remove the spell myself."

Shaking his head, Donald said, "Sounds complicated. I'm Donald, by the way," he extended his hand. "I don't think we've met. Who are you?"

One corner of the man's mouth lifted in an amused smirk. "I'm Howl. I'm a wizard who can't abide the idea of eating a cold meal or sitting in the living room while these two gentlemen work their tails off trying to keep up with the meal preparation." The wizard lifted a graceful hand to indicate the woman next to him. "This is my wife, Sophie."

Donald gave a shallow bow and asked, "Are you a wizard, too?"

Behind him, Panchito laughed as he whisked something in a large bowl. "The term is 'witch', Donald!"

Sophie smiled while Donald blushed. "It is very nice to meet you, Donald. I'm afraid I'm not a witch, just an ordinary housewife. But if you ever need a hat or a flower arrangement, feel free to let me know!" She winked and looked lovingly up at her husband. In response, he hugged her to him more closely.

José paused in running back and forth across the kitchen to say, "Sophie was gracious enough to share her talent by creating all of the centerpieces in the living room."

Realizing he hadn't seen the centerpieces, Donald ducked back through the kitchen door, but was tripped by a large group of dogs. With his hands full, the only way Donald could steady himself was to slam his shoulder against the wall and hissed at the sharp pain. The dogs stopped and surrounded him with regretful looks on their faces. Now that they were standing still, the duck could clearly see that Lady and Tramp, Pongo and Perdy, Dodger, Bolt, and Dug made up the crowd. The red light on Dug's collar lit up as he spoke, "We're very sorry, Donald. We just wanted to go outside and got excited and stopped watching where we were going and we're really sorry and will you forgive us?" Donald blinked at the abrupt end to the sentence, but couldn't stay angry with all the pleading eyes looking up at him.

"Well," he quacked. "No harm, no foul. Just watch where you're going next time." The dogs grinned up at him and had turned to go into the kitchen when something struck Donald's back. He started to get angry again, but was brought to a complete stop by the icy sensation where he had been hit. It was followed by a strange pulling sensation through the bottom of his chest and he looked down to see a red-nosed ghost dog drifting through his body. Startled, Donald jerked back and fell against something solid. The ghost dog barked and drifted off, following the other dogs while Donald turned to look at what he had hit.

He found himself staring at a long, pin-striped torso and looked up. And looked up. And looked up some more. Finally, he found himself staring at an extremely white skull with eyes that were made up of only a black emptiness. The face would have been terrifying (well, more terrifying) if its mouth hadn't been stretched in a wide, friendly smile. "Well, hello there!" the skeleton man bellowed down at him, "And how are you today?"

Donald was speechless. Fortunately, the Mad Hatter quickly walked over. "Well, if it isn't Jack Skellington! What a surprise! How are you, my boy?"

The thin man bent his tall frame to look the Mad Hatter in the face. "Hatter! My, it's been a long time. I haven't seen you since…"

The Mad Hatter laughed joyously, "Since you decided to walk straight out of the forest instead of choosing another door? You were so shocked to find Wonderland! But why are you here?"

Jack's grin got even wider. "I was invited here to check out how another holiday works! Givethankings. It is going to be splendid!" He tilted his head back and took a deep breath through-well, through the spot where his nose should have been. "I already like it."

Donald walked away when the Mad Hatter began trying to tactfully correct Jack Skellington on the name of the holiday, but seeing as the Hatter wasn't the most tactful of people, the duck was certain it wouldn't go well. Besides, the variety of new, odd characters was making him feel as though he was going into shock. Despite the crowded living room, Donald's usual seat was empty, so he made his way over there. As he was lowering himself into his seat, Donald heard a shrill voice shout, "Hey!" and he jerked himself back to a standing position.

When he had stood and turned around, he found that the chair wasn't actually empty. Timothy Q. Mouse, Jaq, and Gus stood on the cushion staring accusingly at Donald. He apologized absently, nodded when they politely excused him, and stumbled off. On his way out of the room, Pete patted him on the shoulder. Donald was gratified to see that the cat was surrounded by an eagerly chatting group and wanted to stay to make sure Pete was fully accepted, but he had to find somewhere quiet, somewhere he could be alone for a few minutes to regroup.

* * *

Eventually, Donald ended up in the gym, far from the laughter and conversations that filled the living room. He slipped inside the door, closing his eyes as he leaned against the wall. He let out a deep sigh and allowed his body to slide toward the floor. He had forgotten about an uneven patch in the wall where one of Panchito's shots had gone rogue and hadn't quite been patched yet. Donald's head slid off the edge the plaster and bounced off the inner concrete layer of the wall. With his bottom was safely on the floor, he rubbed the back of his feathered head, groaning.

The slight injury to his head was quickly forgotten when he heard a shuffling noise that stopped right in front of him. A pleasantly melodious voice said matter-of-factly, "Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. I heard a sound of distress. What seems to be the problem?"

A totally bewildered Donald looked up to find a white, puffy robot in front of him. "What the…" He trailed off and the robot blinked his small black eyes. After a moment of silence, the robot informed Donald, "I will scan you for injuries."

Donald stood up as a frustrated sigh came from his left. "Baymax! I told you not to walk around scanning people." A slender boy with spiky hair walked over, his tennis shoes noiseless on the polished wooden floors. The robot ignored him, stating, "You have some slight irritation and swelling on the back of your head. Does it hurt when I touch it?"

The confused duck dodged the soft white hand reaching for him and circled around to look at both the boy and the robot. "Am I hallucinating? What is going on here?!"

The boy laughed. "I'm Hiro Hamada and this is Baymax. He's a healthcare robot and my sidekick. Earlier today, he diagnosed me with a little claustrophobia, so we left the living room to find some quiet. Sorry for, uh, overstepping our bounds. We've just been hanging out here, I promise. We didn't mess with any of your stuff."

Donald waved off his apologies. "What did you think I was doing?" They laughed briefly before Donald looked around suspiciously. "Are you guys alone in here or are there more people hiding in the shadows?"

A laugh echoed from the corner to their right and a girl with massive amounts of wild orange hair stepped forward. "Nay, jus' me. An' I was nae hidin' in the shadows, jus' hidin' from all the crowd in yer livin' room. Me name's Merida."

Surveying the girl, Donald quickly noted the bow and quiver hanging from her shoulder and motioned to it. "Nice bow you have there. My name is Donald and I hope you're not wearing that because you feel like you're in any danger here. If you want to practice, though, my friend Panchito has a bunch of targets he uses for shooting. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we pulled them out for you to use."

Shaking her head, Merida seemed ready to refuse until Hiro began cajoling, "Oh, come on, Merida! You were just telling me what a good shot you are. Prove it!" She opened her mouth, but Hiro interrupted her with, "Unless you're just scared…"

Merida's mouth snapped closed and her face took on a look of fierce determination. "Go ahead, then. Get yer targets ready an' I'll show ye what kind o' shot I am." Donald scurried around setting the targets, trying to place them in a way that would prove to be a challenge to the (presumably) expert archer. Hiro escorted Baymax out of the door, explaining that he didn't want to risk a ricochet arrow hitting his inflatable friend.

When everything was set up, Merida stood in the middle of the room, took a deep breath, and began firing off arrows so rapidly that Donald's eyes almost couldn't keep up. She turned to face them, breathing quickly, but with a wide smile on her face. Hiro and Donald checked the targets and each one had an arrow in the exact middle of the bullseye. Just outside the door and looking through the glass, Baymax reported, "Twenty-five targets shot in minimal time, accuracy rate: 100%. Conclusion: Expert Archer."

Merida collected the arrows Donald and Hiro had retrieved for her and put them smoothly in the quiver on her back. She slung her bow over her shoulder as Baymax reentered the room. Hiro shook his head with a smirking grin on his face. "That would have been a fantastic shooting job, if you hadn't cheated."

Before Donald could question what had happened, Merida had wrestled the boy down to the ground, wrenched his arm behind his back, and pressed his face to the floor. She was laughingly demanding an apology when the door slammed open. "Hey! There'll be none of that nonsense!" A sharp voice resonated through the large room and everyone turned to look at the door. A short man dressed in a red robe and a brown hat stood in the doorway. His large nose and long white beard didn't quite manage to disguise the fierce scowl on his face.

"Grumpy!" Donald exclaimed. "You scared us all!"

Something close to a smile crept across the dwarf's face. "Yeah, I hear that a lot. Anyway, I was told to come in here and tell you guys to get your sorry butts back to civilization. Everyone wants to eat, but it would be rude to start without you."

* * *

When the group finally got back to the living room, all attention was focused on Jane Porter, who was describing the dish she and Tarzan had brought. Tarzan stood behind her, looking incredibly uncomfortable in a dress shirt and dark jeans. Jane looked totally in her element, wearing a burgundy cocktail dress and a string of delicate pearls. "…We found these on the island. They look like bananas, but they aren't sweet. They're called plantains, and we've found that if they are mashed, they can be made into a type of dough, which is quite good when stuffed with cheese and cooked."

Everyone nodded, some skeptically. The doorbell rang and when Donald answered it, he was met with a large, friendly-looking green dragon. "I'm so sorry we're late!" He pushed Donald aside, stooping, and was followed by an older gentleman with white hair and mustache. By the time they reached the main part of the living room, they had the full attention of everyone. When the dragon noticed this, he looked slightly shocked, but smiled brightly. "Well, hello, everyone! We brought-" he leaned down and listened intently as the older man whispered in his ear, then stood back to his full height and trilled, "mashed potatoes!"

"Oh, great! I love mashed potatoes!" A hardy voice came from the back of the room and everyone turned to stare at its owner. An awkward silence descended as Mr. Potato Head became the center of attention. He looked around, shrugged, and said, "What? I'm not a _real_ potato!"

The room erupted in laughter and as it was beginning to fade, a clinking could be heard. When everyone was looking, Mickey stopped tapping his glass with the knife. "Happy Thanksgiving, folks! I know a lot of us aren't from the United States and some of our younger members have been asking why we all celebrate this holiday. I want to tell you of a great man, my creator and best friend: Walter Disney. Walt told us long ago that Thanksgiving is for thinking about and remembering all the good things and people you have to be thankful for. If I could, I would like to ask everyone to close their eyes and think for a while about the things you're thankful for this year." There was a period of silence before Mickey spoke again. "I know I can't speak for everyone, but I find that the people in my life are always far more important to me than the things, and this year, I would like to tell you how thankful I am for these guys!" Mickey gestured to each of the Caballeros, standing in their various places around the room. "They were selflessly willing to open their home and host our Thanksgiving. If you folks don't mind, I would like to give them a round of applause and our solemn oath that we'll clean up after ourselves."

The crowd smiled at the last comment and everyone clapped. Daisy came over and wound her arm through Donald's, kissing him on the cheek as José stood and cleared his throat. The parrot seemed a little choked up as he said, "On behalf of the Three Caballeros, I would like to say that we are very grateful for all of you, our new friends. We hope that you will always think of our home as yours and know that our door is always open." After another brief round of applause, José smiled. "Okay, I know everyone wishes for me to stop talking now. Go eat! Help yourselves to all of the wonderful food and have a very happy Thanksgiving!" He toasted the crowd with his glass as they began to stream through the door into the kitchen.

* * *

Author's Note \- Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I realize not everyone is from the USA, but I thought this chapter was appropriate since Disney is located in the States and Walt Disney himself was from here. I just feel it would be a good chance for the characters to get together and be thankful for everything they have. Thanks to Three Caballeros Girl for her review on the last chapter. I hope everyone has a fantastic day one way or another and thanks for reading!


	10. Adventure Six And A Half

**Adventure 6½**

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 _Disclaimer -_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

* * *

José had expected to still be cleaning a week after their Thanksgiving dinner, but their houseguests had surprised him. Everyone had thoroughly cleaned up after themselves, leaving absolutely no mess. In fact, several guests had insisted that they would help package up leftovers and distribute them back to whoever had brought them. After the Caballeros had issued several invitations, a few of the guests had gratefully accepted their offer to stay the night. Mickey and Goofy shared a guest room while Minnie and Daisy had gladly split another. Pinocchio and Gepetto were almost forced to share one of the smallest rooms in the house until Milo Thatch was able to wheedle Kuzco out of the largest room, which he had previously insisted on having.

By mid-afternoon the next day, every guest had headed back home, after feasting heartily on Thanksgiving leftovers, of course. When they were all gone (Daisy giving Donald a last lingering kiss before disappearing), the Caballeros stood in the kitchen, staring around the room. Panchito laughed softly and muttered, "I believe it looks better in here now than before everyone came." The others nodded in agreement.

José turned to Donald with an eager, hopeful expression on his face. "Pato Donald… You know what day it is, yes? November the 27th?"

Panchito's smiled widened into a slightly evil grin as he also looked at the duck. "More importantly, amigo, do you remember what that means?"

Donald sighed dejectedly. "I know, I know." He pushed himself off the counter he had been leaning against and walked toward the living room. Panchito and José followed, nearly jogging in their excitement.

While Donald began pulling large boxes out of a nearby closet, Panchito started to slide the furniture to fit a slightly different arrangement, and José riffled through a thick case filled with CDs. Pausing for a moment, he pulled the shining disc from its protective sleeve and inserted it into the stereo, plugging the extra speakers in for more volume and depth. After a beat, the smooth voice of Bing Crosby crept through the room. Donald could feel his usually Grinchy heart accepting the Christmas Spirit to the tune of White Christmas.

Since Panchito was finished moving the furniture, Donald opened the boxes, revealing the assorted-size branches of a Christmas tree, multitudes of tangled lights, and several boxes of ornaments. Wordlessly, the birds began assembling the tree, picking out branches by length and placing them on the pole that made up what was supposed to act as the trunk of the tree. Throughout the time it took to put the tree together, they listened to classic Christmas songs. Some were modern, but most were old enough that the Caballeros remembered them from the golden days.

When the tree was put together, they began to tackle the long strands of lights. Each one, in turn, would get frustrated and leave the room for a little while as the other two continued attempts to detangle. Eventually, all the lights were wound around the tree, burnt-out bulbs were replaced, and final adjustments had been made. They opened the box of ornaments.

The assortment varied wildly from homemade ornaments running heavily toward decorated dried gingerbread to beautiful hand-blown glass orbs, looking as though a slight gust of air could make them shatter into dust. There were ornaments decorated with Brazilian themes, Mexican designs, and American motifs. Others depicted the Three Caballeros in concert or out having adventures. Reverently, Donald picked up an ornament that was made of a delicate glass shell surrounding tiny glass versions of José, Panchito, and himself. He held it at eye level, allowing the orb to revolve slightly as he gazed at them in their sombreros and serapes, guitars in hand. Well, Donald was holding an upright bass, but it was basically the same thing. Just as he smiled and began to hang it in the center of the front of the tree, the cord snapped where it had been rubbing against the metal hook. He grabbed for the ball, but it crashed to the floor, reduced instantly to small fragments of glass.

Donald stared at the pile of shards and felt a hot, ugly twisting in his gut. Why did he always have the worst luck? The only things worse than his own dismay were the shocked and disappointed expressions on the faces of his friends, though they tried to mask their feelings when they realized he was looking at them. The discomfort in the pit of his stomach turned into a tight knot and started to inch upward. Unable to take any more, Donald turned on his heel and left the room.

José sighed and smiled wryly at his red friend. "I always forget about his luck."

Panchito shook his head, hands on his belt. "Poor Donald. He really does not mean to be so destructive."

An odd expression crossed José's face as he crossed the room and rifled through the box of ornaments. Just as Panchito was about to ask what was going on, José straightened and turned around with a plain Styrofoam ball in his hand. He knelt down and delicately sifted through the pile of glass fragments until he held the miniatures of the Caballeros in his hand. He walked over to Panchito. "If we carve out a small window in the front of this, we have some paint, and then we can embed these figures in the space…"

Immediately, Panchito pulled out his pocket knife and began to work on the small foam sphere while José fetched the paint. A few minutes later, the freshly-painted ornament was dangling in a clear space on the back of the tree while it dried. José gingerly touched the paint and found that it had mostly dried, but left it hanging as Donald walked into the room.

"Hey, guys," Donald muttered awkwardly. "I'm really sorry I broke the ornament. I feel really bad about it, so I made us all hot chocolate as a peace offering." When the other two birds just stared at him, Donald cleared his throat and lifted the tray slightly. "Extra marshmallows…"

They laughed. Panchito took the tray from Donald's hands while José slung an arm around the duck's shoulders. "We are not angry, Donald," the Brazilian parrot soothed. "We have actually been making a little bit of a surprise for you."

Donald's eyes lit up with an excitement that could only be described as 'childlike'. "A surprise?! What is it? What is it?"

Panchito had set the tray down on the coffee table and went to grab the now-dry ornament. He presented it to Donald, who cradled it in his feathered hands. The outside was a smooth metallic gold while the inside was painted a rich scarlet. Donald was shocked to see that the three glass figurines of the Caballeros were whole and implanted on the floor of the ornaments. "How did…"

Panchito smiled. "As it turns out, the glass versions of us are much tougher than they appear. José and I have already signed our names on the ornament. If you will add yours, we can go ahead and hang it, and our Christmas tree will be complete."

With a brush, some blue paint, and a flourish, Donald signed the back of the ornament and placed it in the middle of the tree, where the lights shone on it perfectly. The Caballeros sat back, drank their hot chocolate, and admired their work.

* * *

Author's Note \- Hey, everyone! Just a reminder that this is a shorter, in-between chapters update. Next week's chapter will be longer. Actually, as a heads-up, next week's chapter is shaping up to be the longest one I've ever written. It's going to be pretty intense. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope your holiday decorating is going more smoothly than that of the Caballeros. Have a wonderful day!


	11. The Seventh Adventure

**The Seventh Adventure**

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 _Disclaimer:_ I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

* * *

"José! Panchito!" Donald's excited voice rang through the entryway as he called for his friends. He had just gotten back from a meeting with Mickey about their plans for the next few months. Mickey himself was fairly busy making regular appearances in the parks for the holidays, but he had a special project planned and wanted Donald to ask the Caballeros for their help.

Panchito and José skidded around the corner and ran to Donald, faces worried. "Donald? Are you okay?" "What's going on?"

Donald waved off their concern. "Nothing's wrong!" The other two began to look faintly irritated, so Donald hurriedly went on. "You know how you guys wanted to help anyone out if they needed it?" They nodded. "Well, Mickey has asked for our help with something!" They made their way to the living room and sat down while Donald spoke.

The duck took a deep breath. "Mickey has decided that he wants to host a Christmas concert with characters as the performers. We've been invited to participate with our own version of any Christmas song we choose." He watched his two friends, searching for their reactions. Panchito looked thrilled while José was skeptical, as usual.

"I believe that I am missing a part of this. If we are to be the performers, who will the audience be? Does one go up to sing and then come back to watch the others?" José's head was cocked to the side while Panchito's expression had gone from overjoyed to quizzical.

Fortunately, Donald had been waiting for this question and had the answer ready. "Well, that's the best part. Mickey, along with some of his powerful friends, has figured out a way to broadcast this concert to all the children in the world who are feeling alone or that they don't matter. We've already collected lists from a number of hospitals and foster homes."

José and Panchito looked utterly astonished, as Donald had known they would. "But…" "How does this even…"

Donald shrugged and spread his hands out in a shrug. "As you guys have told me before, magic is hard to explain to those who don't use any and I sure don't use any. Mickey tried, but in the end, he just told me that magic is always around, but it gets much stronger at Christmas time. If everything works the way he hopes it will, whenever a child goes to sleep crying or feeling like no one loves them, they'll dream of our concert and see their favorite characters singing songs about how this time of year is wonderful and they should be at peace." Donald pretended not to notice the eyes of his friends growing moist. "I leave all the magic to him. It will be fantastic if it works. Anyway, do we want to be a part of this?"

Panchito nodded fervently, then began to look nervous. "Donald… I am not sure that many children will know who we are. Our movie came out so many, many years ago and we have been mostly forgotten."

With a smile, Donald waved this away. "Of course they know who we are! This isn't just for kids in the United States, it's for kids all over the world! You guys should know that you still have a big following in Mexico and South America, and who knows how many other countries have heard of us? And if they don't know us, this would be a great introduction!" His friends looked unconvinced, so Donald gritted his teeth and said what he knew would convince them. "Mickey did ask us to be a part of this. We should trust him."

José's face broke into a wide smile, "Of course we should! The Three Caballeros would be honored to participate in such a wondrous event. But what should we sing?"

From there, the conversation steadily devolved to a complicated argument between the three as they planned their part of the concert.

* * *

The Caballeros stood in the middle of the largest group of characters they had ever seen assembled at once and watched Mickey, who stood on a small stage as he spoke. "Hey, folks! I'm sure glad you all came here to join us! I know we're going to do some really special things for these kids." Mickey grew uncharacteristically solemn. "I just want to remind everyone that you guys aren't just characters in a movie to them; you're their heroes, the ones they look up to, the people they wish they could be around in real life. These kids shouldn't ever feel alone or unloved because they are all precious, and if we accomplish nothing else tonight, I hope we can bring a little bit of Christmas cheer despite what may be happening in their lives."

Donald saw more than one teary eye in the crowd and even Mickey had to clear his throat before going on in a businesslike manner. "Now, Hiro and Baymax have decided that they would rather be part of the background than sing. Since we all know Frozen is so popular this year and such a perfect theme for the holidays, I think it should be last. With that in mind, it just makes since to have you guys perform in order of the year your movie was released. Okay, everyone know what's going on?" Many nodding heads… "All right! Flora, Fauna, Merriweather, if you would join me, we'll get the decorations and screen put up in a jiffy. Here we go, everybody! Let's make Walt proud!"

The large room erupted in cheers. When the cries had died away, everyone shuffled off to warm up or get some last-minute practice in. Moments later, the room changed completely as red, green, gold, and silver decorations covered all four walls. The stage was the most decorated of all, appearing to be made out of solid snow with a bright red slide leading from the left side, ending offstage. A house sat in the background, windows glowing. Judging from the room before, it had to be painted on a background, but it looked so real that Donald felt as though he could walk right in. As he watched, the chimney began to smoke, he could see someone moving around comfortably inside, and the smell of baking cookies hit him. Magic, indeed.

"Donald!" José voice jerked the duck back to the present time. "We have to make sure our harmonies are correct. Did you ever decide if you wanted to play your guitar?"

Before he could say yes or no, Mickey, standing in front of a giant screen, said, "Hey, guys! We need the first act up on stage and the second and third ready to go. We start in three minutes."

There was an extra burst of movement as Snow White walked up onto the stage, Pinocchio standing just offstage with Dumbo's friends The Crows behind him. When Mickey gave the countdown, the gigantic screen that had been mounted across from the stage lit up with what looked like thousands of tiny dots. After a quick Christmas greeting from Mickey, Snow White launched into a tasteful cover of 'Santa Baby' while the screen shifted to show slightly fewer dots. Now that they were closer, Donald could see that the dots were actually faces. Zoomed out, there were just too many for the viewer to register that they were faces.

After a few more minutes of preparation with the Caballeros, Donald went back to watching the screen. It had changed again, this time showing faces one at a time. He was confused by all of this, but had to smile at the heart-meltingly excited looks on the children's faces. When Mickey walked by, Donald grabbed his elbow and the mouse stopped with a curious smile. "Hey, fellas. You're on soon, you know. Everything okay?"

Donald pointed to the screen. "What's going on with that?"

Concerned, Mickey turned to look at the screen, but turned back to Donald almost immediately. "Well, you see, Donald, when there's no one performing, you're seeing all the kids watching our show right now."

The duck gaped. " _All_ of them?"

Mickey shrugged. "Well, some are in different time zones, so this isn't all who will see it. Anyway, when one person or group steps up, the screen shows all the kids who see them as their favorite character. During the performance itself, the screen will show the individual faces. We thought it would be a good idea to show the characters who exactly their performance is affecting." Mickey looked at Donald, Panchito, and José in turn. "I think you guys are up next. Break a leg!"

The mouse faded into the crowd while Donald swung around to stare at the stage. Surely they weren't up next? But even as he looked, he could hear Pinocchio finishing up 'Little Drummer Boy'. The small wooden puppet gave a bow and a wave before going down the slide as the Crows started to sing 'Jingle Bell Rock'. The faces on the screen flashed by a little more slowly than they had for the other performers. Apparently, Dumbo and the Crows didn't have quite as many fans as Snow White or Pinocchio, but there certainly was a good reaction to the performance.

A hand grasping his elbow snapped Donald back to the present. He looked up into Panchito's worried eyes. "Donald, look at José!" Donald turned to see the parrot staring at the ground, twisting his red sombrero in his hands, and beginning to hyperventilate. Donald looked back at Panchito and shrugged. The tall rooster strode over, Donald following at his heels, and gripped José's shoulders. He bent down and began talking lowly to his friend. "José. I know you are frightened, but I do not know why. Didn't you use to perform at the club all of the time? And you were never afraid of singing in front of people back when we were on tour. What is going on?"

Wildly, José grabbed Panchito's arms. "That is just it! I was not frightened back then! I could sing then!" As if realizing he was beginning to shout, the parrot quieted his voice slightly, but the urgency in his tone remained. "Do you not remember what happened the night you came to the club? My voice had been getting worse and worse and that night it was completely gone. I have been doing fairly well in our rehearsals, but what if my voice leaves once again? I cannot disappoint these children, Panchito! I cannot!"

Donald set a hand on José's back. "Don't worry, José. You can't disappoint these children by getting up onstage. Even if your voice went away, it couldn't be any less disappointing than if we didn't get up on that stage at all." Donald could tell he wasn't helping as much as he thought he would, so he decided to play his trump card. "Besides, if they like me getting up and singing with my terrible voice, they'll like pretty much anything."

Before either of his friends could say the expected 'your voice isn't terrible', Mickey hurried over. "The Crows are just finishing up now. Are you guys ready to go on?"

When Donald and Panchito both looked at him, José let out a small sigh and nodded. "Yes, we are ready to go on." Mickey nodded and walked off while José continued talking to his friends. "Panchito, you take the lead vocals. I will join in on harmonies if I can, and we all will still play the parts we had planned."

* * *

Everything was a blur. Donald had walked up the stairs concentrating completely on not tripping, and once he reached the stage, he found himself completely blinded by the stage lights. When he had adjusted, he could see the screen showing all the children's faces. Panchito, wearing a mistletoe-embellished white sombrero, began gently strumming his guitar and the others quickly followed suit. His strong voice rang out, singing, "Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad." Donald, wearing a green sombrero with a snowman on it, and José, wearing a red one with silver bells sewn around the wide brim, began to harmonize softly as they all sang, "Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y Felicidad."

The song was simple and repetitive, specific reasons the Caballeros had chosen it. As the song went on, they did more and more with it, adding moments of physical comedy when they would steal each other's hats or a reindeer antler-wearing Burrito would slip up underneath them and carry one away briefly. By the time they were wrapping up the song, they had stopped playing and were standing arm in arm, singing to the screen with Burrito in front of them. Faces on the screen flashed by so quickly that they could not even be seen clearly. When they had cut off their last note, the birds slipped down the slide as Burrito flew offstage. The stage was taken over by Pongo, Perdy, and ten of their pups, who teamed together to sing a yipping version of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

The Caballeros received congratulations from a number of characters who had seen and highly enjoyed their song. Some commented on their use of theater to entertain the kids, wishing that they had thought of this. The birds gracefully accepted the compliments, went to put their guitars away, and took a spot in front of the stage. The screen was mounted on the wall high behind them, so as long as no one tall stood in front of it, they were able to watch the rest of the character's performances.

After the Dalmatians had finished their song (many children singing along), Cinderella, Aurora, and Ariel went onstage together to perform an a cappella interpretation of 'The Carol of the Bells'. Cinderella served as the lowest part, Ariel the middle part, and the highest notes were formed by Aurora's sweet, warbling soprano. Belle took the stage afterward with a beautiful rendition of 'White Christmas', followed up by Aladdin singing a spirited version of 'Winter Wonderland'. Mulan brought the room to utter silence as she sang out the impossibly high notes of 'O Holy Night'. Donald saw more than one character wipe away a tear during and after her performance.

Mulan had just slid down the slide when a scream echoed through the room. Looking around, the characters finally discerned that it had come from the false house on the background of the stage. Sure enough, the shadow in the window ran from the right to the left, and a door could be heard slamming. Moments later, the front door opened and two figures began walking to the front of the stage. Gripping the microphone with a small, sharp-nailed hand, the smaller of the two began to speak.

"Sorry, folks. I think we gave that lady a bit of a scare. Occupational hazard, you could say." The small green creature laughed at his own joke, his one large eye closing for just a moment. "My name's Mike Wazowski and this big lump of fur is Sulley." With a jerk of his thumb, Mike indicated the large individual standing next to him. 'Lump of fur' was about right. With long blue hair interspersed with pink polka-dots, Sully was as odd-looking as his friend.

Sulley opened his mouth and went quickly from strange to frightening in a flash, before his face broke into a warm smile. "Hey, there! We're having a bit of an argument and were hoping you could help us settle it. Do you know who the Grinch is?" Almost every head in the screen nodded, but Sully pulled out a large cardboard rectangle with the character's face printed on it. "In case you don't, here he is. I think he looks just like Mike here."

Mike jumped up to pull the microphone out of Sulley's large blue hand. "And I just _know_ that Sully looks more like the Grinch than I do." Mike turned to face his friend. "All right, big guy. Let's settle this once and for all."

The monsters sang a duet version of 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch', often holding up the picture and making small observations about each other's appearance during their part. After a few verses, the microphone and picture would switch sides and the other monster got to take some shots. When the song ended, the kids cheered and some of the characters wanted to as well. The monsters bowed and walked back to the house, disappearing inside once more.

As excited as the kids were, they quieted right down as Stitch, dressed as Santa, walked out on stage holding a ukulele. He was followed by Lilo in a Mrs. Claus costume (plus a grass skirt) and Nani, wearing an elegant forest green dress and a delicate pair of elf ears. They performed a fun version of 'Mele Kalikimaka'. Lilo hula'ed to the rhythm Stitch created singing and playing his ukulele. Nani stood in the background, singing with Stitch so that everyone could understand what the small blue alien was saying. On the screen, kids could be seen dancing around, some just a little bit, but almost all were moving.

Things quieted down a little bit when Tiana got on the stage, using her powerfully soulful voice to sing 'O Little Town of Bethlehem'. With her range, the winding melody of the song was easy for the princess to master and her flowing dance movements highlighted the flapper-esque style she had adopted for the show, wearing a red feather tucked into a headband around her head, green dress covered in tassels. With a graceful curtsey as she finished her song, she slid down off the stage and joined the rest of the characters in time to see the next act walk out onstage.

A slender woman with bare feet and long hair danced onto the stage, eyes alight when she saw the children on the screen. She strode forward, red and green striped dress spinning around her ankles, then stopped as a smile crossed her face. She turned slightly. "Eugene!" she hissed loudly. After a beat of silence, a man wearing a white shirt and blue vest stomped onto the stage behind her. He didn't look Christmas-y at all, other than the large red hat perched on his head. The white fuzzball sewn on the top swung into his eyes, and he batted it out of the way before crossing his arms across his chest.

Ignoring her partner, the woman trilled out, "Hey there! I'm Rapunzel and this here is Eug-" The man elbowed her and she corrected herself. "Excuse me. This is the fearsome thief Flynn Rider! He needs a bit of persuasion to sing for you. Can you help me?" She turned to look at him, clasping hands under her chin. "Please, Flynn? Please? Plllleeeeaaaassssse?" The children on the screen echoed her, some even giving their best puppy eyes at the screen. It was manipulation, and Rapunzel pulled it off beautifully. The man sighed. "Oh, all right. But I'm not happy!"

Rapunzel patted his arm. "Of course you're not. Let's get started!" The music began to play in the background and Donald soon recognized it as 'Baby, It's Cold Outside'. Rapunzel cheerfully drew Flynn into a duet, and his low voice turned out to be a pleasant contrast to her bright one. Donald was concerned when he remembered the line asking what was in a drink, but the couple had worked out a solution: When the line came up, Rapunzel walked behind a small counter that had been set up and pulled a disgusted face as she said, "What's in the _sink_?!" Eugene smilingly shrugged and the duet continued. When they finished their song, both bowed as the kids cheered.

The cheering intensified as a man about nine feet tall walked onto the stage, stooping slightly to get through the entrance. He was dressed in a green short-sleeved shirt with dark red overalls covering it, one side of the overalls drooping at the undone button. He looked extremely frightening, but the kids seemed to know him. He smiled and spoke with a surprisingly pleasant voice: "Hi! My name's Ralph…" The giant cut off as a small, black-haired girl popped out from behind him. "And I'm Vanellope! We're going to sing a song for you!" She stood with her hands raised in the air for a moment, then lowered them and amended sheepishly, "Well, I'm going to sing for you. But Ralph's gonna help!" The music started and the girl began singing 'All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth'. Ralph's part became evident when he stood in the middle of the stage with his arms outstretched. Vanellope used him as a stage, appearing from his arms, his feet, his waist, on his head, as she sang each line of, "My two front teeth!" At the end of the performance, she appeared on his nose and the startled Ralph lost his balance. His arms pinwheeled, trying to regain his balance, but he sat down hard. Vanellope was nowhere to be seen. The kids gasped and more than one of the characters joined them. After a beat of silence, Vanellope ran out in front of Ralph, bowed, and grinned widely, displaying the space where her front teeth had been a moment before. She bowed again with Ralph and the two left the stage amid the cheering of the kids.

The merriment continued until the stage abruptly went dark, as did the room. Sitting on the floor, Donald could see absolutely nothing. Not a hint of sound could be heard. A single light pierced the darkness. It was a tiny pinprick, falling slowly from the ceiling. It wove back and forth through the air, ever downward, until it was joined by another pinprick. And another. They multiplied rapidly until the patterns made it apparent to the audience that they were watching a snowfall. The stage was thick with tiny points of light, until they all merged and the stage was lit once more.

A snowman was in the middle of the open area. It was plain and white, with no features of any kind. A snowball flying through the air collided with the side of its head, giving it an odd outline. A young girl with red hair spun onto the stage, laughing over her shoulder as she ducked to avoid another snowball. "Nice try, Elsa!" she called merrily. As she turned to watch where she was running, she caught sight of the screen and stopped in feigned surprise. "Oh… Hi, there!" She waved at the screen as several kids screamed in excitement. She smiled broadly, but was hit in the shoulder by an expertly-thrown snowball. "Elsa!" she cried, pretending to be angry. "We have company!"

An elegant, white-haired girl stepped out onto the stage and reacted very similar to the red-headed girl. "Oh… I'm sorry! If I had known we had company, I would have come to greet you sooner." The screen was flashing between so many faces that Donald got dizzy just glancing at it. The woman continued. "Please forgive my rudeness! How can I make it up to you?" She pretended to think for a moment before the other girl tapped her on the shoulder.

She leaned up as if to whisper the idea, but allowed her voice to carry. "Elsa, why don't we sing them one of our favorite Christmas songs?"

Elsa smiled and looked at the screen. "How about it? Would it be okay if my sister Anna and I sang a Christmas song for you? One that we love?" Obviously, there was no disagreement, but Elsa sighed. "If only our friend Olaf could be here. I know how much he loves to sing…"

A child-like giggle echoed through the auditorium. "But I am here, silly!" Anna and Elsa looked around for their friend as the snowman at the edge of the stage slowly swiveled around to reveal wide eyes, a smiling mouth, and a bulbous nose formed from a carrot. His rounded body raised to reveal two stubby legs. Apparently, he had been sitting. He waddled over to his friends. "Ooh, ooh! Can we sing 'Let It Snow'? Please? Pllleeaaasssee?" Even Donald had to smile at the snowman's pleading.

The women relented. Elsa raised her arms above her head and it began to snow softly on the stage. The trio began to sing 'Let It Snow', each taking turns repeating the lines of the chorus. They danced around the stage, taking occasional pauses to wave at the screen. At the end of the song, Elsa sang, "Let it snoooooowww…." holding her arms aloft as she held the note and Anna picked it up, trilling, "Let it snoooooooowww…" also holding her arms up. Olaf stood in between them, stuck his twiggy arms in the air, and giggled out, "Let it snow!"

As the children laughed and cheered, Mickey walked out on the snow-covered stage. "Well, kids, that about wraps up our show tonight. We sure hope you liked it! Merry Christmas and we'll see ya real soon!"

The screen went black, and shortly after, the stage disappeared altogether. Mickey thanked everyone for their contributions to the show and wished them a merry Christmas. Most of the characters hung around to mingle for a while, but all eventually drifted home, hearts warmed by thoughts of their young fans.

* * *

Author's Note \- So, I didn't lie: this ended up being one seriously long chapter. Sorry about that, but thanks for sticking around until the end. I hope everyone enjoyed it and that everyone's getting in the Christmas mood! Have a wonderful day!


	12. Adventure Seven And A Half

**Adventure 7½**

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 _Disclaimer_ \- I do not own The Three Caballeros or any part of the Walt Disney Company.

* * *

Panchito paced the periphery of the room for the tenth time, shouting, "You have to be kidding with me!" His waving arms knocked the sombrero off his head, and he stooped to pick it up, brushing the hat with jerky motions before placing it back on his head. Pacing interrupted, the rooster turned to his friends with his arms crossed and a betrayed look on his face.

Obviously trying not to smile, José admitted from the couch, "No, my friend. I am sorry. Donald and I both finished our Christmas shopping nearly a week ago. We assumed you had as well, or we would have reminded you that the holiday is approaching quickly."

Sitting beside the parrot, Donald did his best to keep a straight face. If there was one thing Panchito couldn't stand, it was shopping. Donald actually agreed with the sentiment, but he had sucked it up and shopped for his friends and family early in the month. The last thing he needed was to somehow be convinced to join his friend for another day wandering a local mall, scavenging for meaningful presents. No, Donald fully intended to spend the day comfortably at home.

Heaving an impressively frustrated sigh when neither of his friends volunteered to join him, Panchito retrieved his house keys and wallet, whistled for Martinez, and left the house, muttering something about _true_ friendship braving all obstacles. Donald started to feel a little guilty about staying behind, but before he could get too worked up, José turned to him excitedly. "Pato Donald! You are thinking what I am thinking, yes?"

Perplexed, Donald stared into his friend's wide eyes for a moment. "…Yes? I- I think so?" José continued staring at him and Donald shook his head. "No. No, I'm not. What are you thinking?"

The parrot smiled widely. "Well, I have found out that Panchito's birthday is this upcoming Monday and I thought it would be nice of us to plan for him to have a surprise birthday party! I know what you are thinking: we just had everyone over for Thanksgiving. You are correct about that, but it does not have to be a big party. I was just thinking that we could invite a couple of characters. Make it a small event so there is not much cleanup…"

Donald stopped paying attention to José's rambling to consider the idea. No wonder José hadn't joined Panchito, even though the parrot loved shopping with a fervor Donald found utterly bizarre. In any case, it would be nice of them to throw Panchito a birthday party. They could invite just a couple of friends. Maybe Pete? Plus, it had been a while since Donald had seen Daisy. It would be great to invite her so they could spend at least a little bit of time together…

He tuned back into José in time for the parrot to cut off. "So, Donald, what do you think? Should I go ahead and plan a party?"

Donald shrugged. "Sure. I mean, we'd celebrate Panchito's birthday either way. It doesn't really matter much to me if there are other people here or not. Was there anyone in particular you wanted to invite?"

José waved away Donald's question. "We have many other things to discuss before we worry about the guest list, my friend."

With a sinking feeling, Donald wondered what exactly he had missed while he had zoned out. What had he agreed to? José began talking about a variety of color schemes and decorations before moving on to cake designs and flavors. When he took a breath after mentioning potential party favors, Donald cut in.

"José? You sound like you've got a pretty good handle on all of this stuff, but do you have a present for Panchito yet? Because I don't. I got him something for Christmas, but I know no one with a birthday near Christmas wants one present to count for both holidays. Have you gotten him anything?"

The parrot's eyes popped open. "No! I had not even thought about that! I have not gotten him a present yet! There is not very much time! We must go shopping immediately!"

Disliking the sudden gleam in his friend's eye, Donald tried to change course again. "But maybe we should wait for a different day. After all, Panchito is at the mall today. How would we explain if he sees us after we made a big deal out of telling him all our shopping was done?"

But José would not be dissuaded. If anything, his smile only got wider. "You are correct! We will need disguises!" Donald groaned. "Oh, Donald. You must admit that we need to find our friend his presents before too much longer. And it cannot wait for a different day. We know he will be at the mall all day, so we can get there, shop, and return home before he even knows we were gone. Go get ready! We leave in half an hour!"

* * *

Donald came downstairs. He wasn't much for disguises, so all that he could come up with was a tan shirt, dark sunglasses, and a baseball cap. Maybe it wasn't too late to talk José out of going to the mall…

When Donald turned the corner, he had to stifle a laugh. José stood in the middle of the room, wearing an outfit that was an exact twin of Donald's, but with a dark shirt. The parrot turned around with a discontented look on his face. It deepened into a frown as he took in Donald's outfit and sighed, "My friend, we are not so good at the disguises."

Donald nodded his agreement. "I don't know about you, Joe, but this was the best I could find. Do you have any magic that would disguise us?"

The other bird shook his head. "I have a limited number of magical disguises for myself, and Panchito knows all of them. Besides, it is nearly impossible to make someone who uses no magic look different. I am afraid we are stuck with only what we have on now."

Donald looked down at his clothes before shrugging at his friend. "Well, if that's the case… Maybe we should just go in our normal clothes? If he sees us, we'll just say that we felt guilty for abandoning him and came to join him."

José smiled. "That sounds like a good plan. We should go change now if we hope to return before he gets home. If he does not see us, of course."

The two quickly changed back to their regular clothes before walking out of the front door.

* * *

Author's Note \- Thanks for reading! What does everyone think about the shorter in-between chapters? If you think they're a good update on the Caballeros, I'll keep them. If not, I won't be offended. It would make things easier for me if I cut them out, but I don't mind writing the chapters if anyone's enjoying them. Just let me know! Have a great day, and keep enjoying the holiday season!


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